Obama offers assurances to allies
RIYADH: From the heart of Europe to the expanse of
Saudi Arabia’s desert, US President Barack Obama’s
weeklong overseas trip amounted to a reassurance
tour for stalwart, but sometimes skeptical, American
allies. At a time when Obama is grappling with crises
and conflict in both Europe and the Middle East, the
four-country swing also served as a reminder that
even those longtime partners still need some personal attention from the president.
Europe is a crucial linchpin in Obama’s efforts to
rally the international community in opposition to
Russia’s incursion in Ukraine, but the continent’s leaders have concerns about the impact tougher Western
sanctions on Moscow could have on their own economy. Saudi Arabia has a hand in nearly every Middle
East crisis consuming White House attention, including the Syrian civil war, nuclear negotiations with Iran
and peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians,
but has grown anxious about Obama’s positioning in
the region.
Obama departed for Washington yesterday with
much left unresolved on each of those matters. Still,
officials said the president had made progress during
his pilgrimage to Saudi King Abdullah’s desert oasis,
as well as in his hours of conversations with European
leaders. The president’s advisers were particularly
bullish about his meeting in the Netherlands with
allies from the Group of Seven leading industrial
nations, which agreed to indefinitely suspend Russia
from the larger Group of Eight.
“There’s been a lot of movement in the last several
days that suggest that Europe has been stirred to
action by the events in Ukraine, and I think the president felt a degree of unity in that G7 meeting, in the
EU session at NATO, and then with the individual leaders that he met with,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s
deputy national security adviser.
Obama’s stops in the Netherlands and Belgium
were scheduled long before Russia’s provocations in
Ukraine but ended up being a well-timed opportunity
for the president to discuss the crisis personally with
Europe’s leaders. As Obama sought pledges that
Europe would cooperate if tougher economic sanctions on Russia become necessary, he also recommitted American support for NATO, the trans-Atlantic military alliance.
Continued on Page 13

Max 35º
Min 18º
High Tide
11:48
Low Tide
05:46 & 18:03

KUWAIT: Supreme Judiciary Council Chairman Faisal AlMershed said yesterday that women will not be
employed as legal researchers “this year and for a limited
period of time,” pending assessment of their performance
in the public prosecution department. The chief justice, in
a statement regarding employment of female legal
researchers eligible to serve as prosecution attorneys,
indicated that the council has taken into consideration
the profession’s conditions, traditions and customs.
This decision does not
imply belittling the potentials and talents of women
and is strictly based on
considerations of convenience, he stressed. The
Kuwaiti constitution stipulates, in its second provision, that Islamic sharia is
a main source of legislation, Mershed said, noting
Faisal Al-Mershed
that the judicial laws do
not include a clear text that prohibits women’s employment
in the judiciary or public prosecution.
Moreover, Islamic jurisprudence schools differ on
assigning women to such leading and key posts.
Although customs and traditions have stood against
women’s employment as judges, the council last year
opted to allow them to ser ve as judges, Mershed
explained. Incidentally, the Justice Ministry published
advertisements in newspapers last week seeking only
men to apply for prosecutors’ jobs, a move that drew the
ire of some MPs. — KUNA

Kuwait transfers
top Brotherhood
member to Egypt

RIYADH: US President Barack Obama presents Dr Maha Al-Muneef, founder and executive director of the
National Family Safety Program, with the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award
yesterday. — AFP

CAIRO: Egyptian airport officials yesterday said a
Brotherhood leader arrested in Kuwait at Cairo’s
behest was extradited to Egypt for prosecution.
Mohammed El-Qabouti is wanted for trial on suspicion he incited violence against authorities last
summer. The handover of Qabouti is the first
reported case of Cairo’s Gulf allies arresting and
extraditing members of the Brotherhood to Egypt.
Authorities reported his arrest in Kuwait earlier this
month. — AP

Power cuts
in 3 areas
By A Saleh
KUWAIT: A daily 5-hour electricity cut is scheduled in
Ardiya, Daiya and Mubarakiya until Thursday in order to
carry out scheduled maintenance operations at secondary transformers across the Farwaniya and Asima
(Capital) governorates, the Ministry of Electricity and
Water announced. Areas affected by the cut, from 7:00
am to noon, include blocks 1, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 of
Ardiya, in addition to block 5 of Daiya where the Iraqi
embassy is located, and some parts of Mubarakiya.

Lights go off for
global Earth Hour
SINGAPORE: Lights went off in thousands of cities and towns across the world
yesterday for the annual Earth Hour campaign, which is aiming to raise money via
the Internet for local environmental projects. The Singapore-based campaign by
conservation group WWF was boosted by
Hollywood star power, with “The Amazing
Spider-Man 2” stars Andrew Garfield,
Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx leading ceremonies at the city-state’s Marina Bay district.
Comic-book hero Spider-Man is this
year’s “ambassador” for Earth Hour in
which 150 countries including Kuwait are
taking part, according to organisers. The
event was launched in Sydney in 2007.
The Australian city’s Opera House and
Harbour Bridge were among the first
landmarks around the world to dim their
lights for 60 minutes during yesterday’s
event. An estimated 7,000 cities and

towns from New Zealand to New York are
taking part at 8.30 pm local time.
Hong Kong’s stunning waterfront skyline was unrecognisable yesterday
evening, with the city’s tallest skyscraper,
the International Commerce Centre,
stripped of the vast light show usually
wrapped around its 118 storeys. Blazing
neon signs advertising some of the
world’s largest brands were shut off, leaving the view of the heavily vertical southern Chinese city peppered only with tiny
lights from buildings’ interiors. In the
Indian capital of New Delhi, lights were
turned off at major landmarks, including
the India Gate.
Earth Hour partnered with payments
giant PayPal to allow donors to contribute
to specific projects from Russia and India
to Canada and Indonesia, using Asian
fundraising site Crowdonomic.
Continued on Page 13

Earthquake
rattles jittery
Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: A shallow 5.1-magnitude earthquake
rocked the Los Angeles area Friday causing power
cuts, gas leaks and bursting water mains, and stopping rides at Disneyland. While no injuries were
reported, objects fell from shelves and furniture toppled over, according to photos posted on social
media, while TV pictures showed a car flipped over by
a rockslide. The quake, which hit at 9:10 pm (0410 GMT
yesterday), was the biggest in the Los Angeles area for
six years, since a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck
nearby Chino Hills in 2008. Friday’s quake came after
one measuring 4.4 earlier this month.
The quake’s epicenter was near La Habra, about 35
km southeast of downtown Los Angeles, and could be
felt across the LA metropolitan area, including in
Hollywood. Disneyland shut down rides as a precaution, according to NBC4 television. A Disneyland
spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
Car alarms were reported to have been set off in some
areas by the five-mile-deep quake, which was initially
registered as 5.3 magnitude but later revised down.
Continued on Page 13

SOUTH CHINA SEA: A China Coast Guard ship and a Philippine supply boat
engage in a standoff as the Philippine boat attempts to reach the Second
Thomas Shoal yesterday. — AFP

Philippines supply ship
evades China blockade
SOUTH CHINA SEA: A Philippine re-supply ship evaded a Chinese coastguard
blockade in the South China Sea yesterday to reach Filipino soldiers based on a
remote reef claimed by both countries,
the military said. The dramatic, two-hour
stand-off witnessed by the AFP was the
latest in a rapid-fire series of escalations
in a dispute between the two countries
over their competing claims to waters
and islands close to Philippine landmass.
Yesterday’s incident took place at Second
Thomas Shoal, where a small number of
Filipino soldiers are stationed on a Navy
vessel that was grounded there in 1999
to assert the Philippines’ sovereignty.
The Philippine military said the ship, a
fishing vessel with soldiers on board,
completed its mission to deliver fresh
supplies to the navy ship and rotate the

troops. “They were able to pass through.
The Chinese coastguard vessel and the
mission is a success,” Cherryl Tindog, a
spokeswoman for the military’s western
command, told AFP. “We have successfully re-supplied and rotated the troops.” An
AFP reporter and photographer recorded
the two-hour confrontation above calm
turquoise waters while on board a
Philippine military plane that circled
above the area throughout.
Four Chinese vessels had encircled
Second Thomas Shoal as the Philippine
vessel approached, according to the AFP
reporter. Two of the vessels, with a
“Chinese Coast Guard” written on the
hulls, then chased the Philippine boat
and tried to block it from reaching the
shoal.
Continued on Page 13

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

LOCAL

(From left) Lulwa Al-Mulla, President of the Women Cultural Social Society, Rima
Khalidi, Ambassador Tahboub and Abdulaziz Al-Mulla are pictured during the event.
—Photos by Joseph Al-Shagra

Kuwaiti photographer Faisal Al-Busairi (right) is showing the images from Palestine
to the Palestinian Ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub and his spouse Rima Khalidi
(centre) during the Open Day.

Abdulaziz Al-Mulla, Chairman of The Kuwaitis for
Jerusalem Committee, is seen opening the event held
to show Palestine’s heritage and culture.

‘A Day of Kuwaitis for Jerusalem’ showcases rich heritage, culture
Carnival aims to foster relations, bring people together
By Velina Nacheva
KUWAIT: An open day dedicated to the rich
Palestinian heritage gathered Palestinians,
Kuwaitis and residents of Kuwait with the dual
aim to show the youth a glimpse of Palestinian
culture and to raise awareness about the
Palestinian issue. According to the organizers
of the Open Day, The Kuwaitis for Jerusalem
Committee (KJC), the purpose of the event is
to foster relations between Kuwaitis and
Palestinians and to remind the young generations of Palestinian culture. The Open Day was
held on the premises of the Women Cultural
Social Society in Khaldiya on Friday.
Rami Tahboub, Palestinian ambassador to
Kuwait, was in attendance at the event. He told
Kuwait Times that such an event helps build
bridges between the people from Palestine
and Kuwait. This is the second such function
organized by the committee that the ambassador has attended in the past two years. He
stressed that the committee is very active in
supporting Palestine in general and Jerusalem
in particular. “I really appreciate what they do
as Kuwaiti people and what the activists (volunteers in the committee) are doing for
Palestine. This is something valuable for us. It
also reflects the nature of the relations
between Kuwait and Palestine, and the Kuwaiti
people and the Palestinian people.”
Taking the point further, he stressed that
such an event is very important to strengthen
the relations between Palestine and Kuwait. “It
should be a very good example for other Arab
people in establishing such committees for
supporting Palestine. This is really needed in
this very crucial time that the Palestinian cause
is passing through, especially in Jerusalem
where there is continuous aggression by Israeli
settlers.” Lulwa Al-Mulla, President of the
Women Cultural Social Society, explained that
the aim of the annual carnival organized by the

Ambassador Tahboub and Rima Khalidi are pictured during the event.
committee was to introduce young people to
the rich Palestinian culture.
Palestine in focus
The annual family open day organized jointly by Kuwait Graduates Society and the Women
Cultural Social Society featured a 3D movie
called “A Tour in Jerusalem”, showing the AlAqsa mosque and an exhibition by Kuwaiti
photographer Faisal Al-Busairi. The Palestinian
Heritage Band performed a traditional folklore
dance known as dabke. Waleed Al-Sibawi
entertained attendees with traditional
Palestinian songs. A Kuwaiti band also
enchanted the audience with contemporary
folklore music and dance.
The carnival also featured folklore activities
and entertainment for children, a talk by Dr
Sulaiman Busita and Palestinian stories narrated by a storyteller. In addition, all attendees

The Palestinian Heritage Band is pictured performing a traditional folklore
dance known as dabke.

Waleed Al-Sibawi entertains the audience at the event with Palestinian songs.

had a taste of Palestine’s rich culinary heritage,
sampling special traditional Palestinian dishes.
Some of the popular picks at the cuisine booth
were munsaf (big round bread with grilled
chicken and nuts), grapevine and Palestinian
olive oil, zaatar and olives. A bazaar display
showed the country’s traditional clothes,
scarves and various souvenirs.
A Kuwaiti collector also had a display of
items that can no longer be found today, such
as rotary telephones, radios, vintage Coca Cola
glass bottles and many others.
The series of images captured by the lens of
Kuwaiti photographer Busairi were on view,
depicting what he calls “the unfiltered reality in
Palestine”. “My pictures are unfiltered. It is how I
see things,” Busairi said, pointing at a few of his
images. Asked about his experience in
Palestine, he said, “The Palestinian people are
resilient in everything that happens.” He

explained that when Palestinians are forced
out of their homes and everything is
destroyed, people like him feel great empathy.
“You feel you could have done something. You
become part of them and you want to make a
difference,” he said.
Khadija Madani, the driving force behind
the event and a volunteer in the committee,
explained that the event is put together to
introduce the Palestinian culture to the young
generation.
The Committee
The Kuwaitis for Jerusalem Committee,
made up of volunteers, was founded in 2000
during the second intifada, but its roots go
back to the first intifada in 1987. The committee supports many charity initiatives in
Palestine where it finances various projects.
According to Committee Chairman Abdulaziz

Al-Mulla, the committee was established to
support projects in the fields of healthcare,
education and others.
Stressing that he had been privileged to visit Palestine twice, Mulla said that the committee works with Palestinian NGOs on the
ground. “We make sure that the money is spent
in the right way. We also go to see the projects
that we support,” he said, adding that visiting
Palestine is not easy. “Israelis don’t make it easy
for Arabs to visit Palestine. They try to isolate
Palestine from the Arabs.”
Previously, the committee has supported
the Palestinian Children Rescue Fund in Beit
Jala and a program currently providing scholarships to 27 students. The committee also
supported the renovation of a house for the
elderly in Abu Dis village as well as projects for
protecting the rights of disabled children in
Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Ambassador Tahboub stopped to greet vendors at the event showcasing various items and food from Palestine.

Woman injured in police shooting
KUWAIT: Following a recent shooting when a
police officer from the royal family and another
policeman chased two people who were beating a woman inside their vehicle from Salmiya to
Al-Ghous street in Mubarak Al-Kabeer where
one of them allegedly shot the woman in the
head, the woman’s husband and his companion
who were arrested over charges of shooting her

denied shooting the woman and justified his
escape on the drugs the police found in the
vehicle.
The husband also stressed that it was the
chasing police force that fired the bullet that hit
his wife in the head, sending her to the ICU in a
critical condition.
However, Al-Rai daily learned that initial

examination of the bullet showed that it was a 9
mm caliber one like those used by the police
and that the patrol policeman confessed that it
was the police officer (the royal family member)
who shot at the escaping vehicle and accidentally injured the woman. Both the officer and the
policeman are in police custody for further
investigations.

Qatar’s ‘Halal’ carnival turns
into tourist attraction

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait opened a pavilion at the 360 Mall as part of
its ongoing cultural campaign ‘Ya Zain Turathna’. The pavilion is set up to represent a
‘miniature neighborhood’ of old Kuwait and contains several aspects that reflect
Kuwaiti old customs and traditions. A live show of popular Kuwaiti games and songs
are featured at the pavilion, said Amani Al-Waraa, the CBK’s Assistant General
Manager of the Advertisement and Public Relations Department.

DOHA: Kuwaiti participants in “Halal Hal Qatar”
cattle festival has praised organizers of the activity that brings to life some aspects of the popular Gulf heritage and past lifestyle.
The carnival, organized by the Cultural Village
Foundation (Katara), re-plays some pictures of
the ancestors’ ways of living, customs and traditions.
Jumaan Al-Sahloul, a Kuwaiti herder, said he
is taking part in the festival with intention of
enhancing the Gulf popular heritage, noting
that it has increasingly drawn participants from
various Gulf countries.
Al-Sahloul is a contester in “Al-Mazaiyn,” a
show of beauty for goats and sheep, where a
prize is given to five winners.
Hamad Al-Enaz, a Kuwaiti competing in “AlMazaiyn,” auctioning livestock, indicated some of
the animals have been traded at very prices-a
head may cost as high as KD 50,000 .
Marzouq Al-Sewagh, also a competitor in the
beauty contest, said the activity depicts the
desert life in the old times. “The festival preserves the popular heritage and boosts the livestock wealth.
His fellow citizen, Mohammad Bin Qurash AlAjmi, said diverse activities and products displayed at the festival ground have rendered it a

major tourist attraction.
The festival includes displays of handcraft
products, traditional food, pictures, popular
games, classic and popular songs.
Top winner is granted 100,000 riyal, secondrank winner gets 50,000 riyals, the third 30,000
riyals, fourth 15,000 riyals and the last 10,000
riyals. The carnival features “Al-Mazaiyn,” “Al-

Mazad” and Al-Izab: the latter is a display of a
group of barns each containing different species
of livestock, where visitors can examine closely.
Also in the carnival, traditional old Qatari houses
are presented to show how Qataris were living in
the old times. Also there is the traditional market, which is containing the rest tents where the
aromatic Arabic coffee is served. — KUNA

DOHA: Kuwaiti participants in “Halal Hal Qatar” cattle festival.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

LOCAL

Panel votes on children
allowance hikes today
High cost to national budget
By A Saleh
KUWAIT: The parliament’s financial committee will discuss proposals to increase
the children allowance this morning with
Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh and
Public Institution for Social Security representatives. The two sides will discuss
proposals which the government rejects
in general due to their high cost to the
national budget. A memorandum that
the government sent previously to the
co m m i t te e s ays t h a t a p ro p o s a l to
increase the monthly allowance from KD
50 to KD 75 for up to 3 children will cost
KD 149 million annually, while a similar
proposal for up to 4 children will cost KD
177 million per year.
Meanwhile, the cost of a proposal to
increase the allowance for up to 5 children reaches KD 195 million, while another proposal to increase the allowance to
KD 65 for seven children will cost KD 127
million per year. But some committee
members plan to vote on proposals that
increase the allowance to a minimum of
KD 75 per child, “whether the government approves it or not”, according to
sources. “The government was given sufficient time to present alternatives but
did not provide any,” said the sources
who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The committee postponed discussion
of the same issue last week when minister Saleh could not attend due to the
government’s preparations for the Arab
Summit. There is concern within the panel that the government could use a similar tactic to avoid discussing the issue
today. Yet panel members can still pass
the draft laws if the minister does not

attend the meeting, a step that some of
t h e m s e e m co n f i d e n t w i l l h a p p e n ,
according to the sources. The parliament
is set to vote on the proposal referred by
the financial committee during Tuesday’s
session.
Committee chairman MP Faisal AlShaya had told Al-Rai daily on Friday that
the proposal to increase the allowance to
KD 75 for up to 5 children was probably
the most ‘budget-friendly ’ in the long
term despite being the costliest of proposals on the panel’s table. Al-Rai also
quoted MP Hamdan Al-Azmi, who criticized the government for refusing prop o s a l s to i n c re a s e t h e c h i l d re n’s
allowances under the pretext of its high
costs “despite spending KD 88 million on
hosting the 2-day Arab summit according
to recent reports”. Azmi made another
s t a te m e n t ye s te rd ay i n w h i c h h e
slammed the ‘weak executive authority’,
as well as its lack of long-term strategic
planning, failure to diversify sources of
income and attempts to collect taxes
instead of boosting investment spending.
Financing crisis
In other news, the parliament’s housing committee meets today with Minister
of Housing Affairs Yasser Abul in order to
discuss statements he made earlier about
a ‘financing crisis’ that the government
faces in implementing housing projects.
Committee chairman Faisal Al-Kandari
c r i t i c i ze d t h e m i n i s te r ’s s t a te m e n t s,
telling Al-Qabas yesterday that the current capital of the Saving and Credit
Bank’s which finances housing loans has
reached KD 3 billion.
The committee will also discuss with
the minister a proposal to allocate a sec-

ond parliament session to discuss the
housing issue to follow up with developments on the issue since the first one was
held in December, Kandari told Al-Jarida
daily. Also yesterday, head of the parliament’s human resources committee MP
Yaqoub Al-Sane said that a work team
was formed to prepare a draft law which
unifies payrolls in the public sector. The
law would ‘achieve justice’ by giving similar salaries to employees with the same
job classifications at all state depar tments, and it is expected to be ready in
time to be debated in parliament before
the end of the current term, Sane told AlWatan daily.
KAC Hierarchy
Kuwait Air ways is expec ted to see
‘major appointments’ in the upcoming
few days af ter at least 25 employees
received notice from management that
they will be referred to retirement. The
new appointments come after the board
decided to eliminate the ‘chief executive
officer’ position, according to sources.
The sources added that K amel AlAwadhi, Chairman of the Operational
Safet y O ffice, will be appointed as
Assistant M anaging Direc tor for
Operational Safet y and S ecurit y.
Meanwhile, Sharifa Al-Ibrahim, the acting
CEO, will be appointed as Assistant
M anaging Direc tor for Financial and
Administrative Affairs, while Ezzat AlAryan, the Ground Services Directorate
Manager, will be appointed as Assistant
Managing Director for Commercial Affairs.
Also, Abdullah Al-Sharhan, the
Engineering Directorate Manager, will be
appointed as Assistant Managing Director
for Engineering and Maintenance.

25,265 certificates for bedoons
KUWAIT: Death and birth certificates issued
for illegal residents (bedoons) reached
25,265 between early 2011 and March 19, a
Ministry of Health official said yesterday.
Salman Al-Haifi, the MoH’s assistant
undersecretary, said 23,997 birth certificates
were issued for this segment during this

period, in addition to 1,268 death certificates. In the first 100 days of the year 2014,
up to 828 birth certificates and 26 death
documents were issued. Issuance of these
documents is in line with the Cabinet
Resolution 409/2011 that provides these residents with a package of privileges and facil-

ities. The ministry adheres to the resolution
stipulating usage of the term “non-Kuwaiti”
in the nationality category, instead of “illegal
resident.” The ministry is issuing the documents in coordination with the Central
System for the Remedy of Status of Illegal
Residents. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Health minister, Dr Ali Al-Obaidi yesterday launched a walkathon held at the Green Island as a festivity commemorating the World Kidney Day. The walkathon was held under the title ‘Let’s Fight Kidney
Diseases Together!”

Kuwait donates $2m to UNRWA
AMMAN: State of Kuwait has granted a $2 million
donation to the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as part of the annual support from it the organization.
This support aims to provide aid to the Palestinian
people, alleviate their suffering and meet their needs,
and it came in compliance with instructions by His
Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Dr. Hamad Saleh
Al-Duaij said in a statement.
The Kuwaiti ambassador handed the donation to
UNRWA relations coordinator Maria Mohammadi, at
their meeting yesterday at the headquarters of the
Kuwaiti Embassy in Amman.
Kuwaiti contributions to UNRWA aim to support the
international relief and development organization and
help UNRWA fulfill its responsibilities towards refugees,
he said, stressing that Kuwait has never hesitateed to
lend a hand of help to the Palestinian people.
For her part, Mohammadi expressed in a statement
appreciation of the international organization to the
State of Kuwait’s leadership, government and people
for the generous support to UNRWA.
The UNRWA is very grateful for the annual contribution from the State of Kuwait, especially since Kuwait
was and still the leader among Arab countries in support of the Organization, she added.
She pointed to the generous contribution made by
His Highness the Amir to the organization in 2009
during the Gaza crisis-worth $34 million and the $15
million support given in 2013 for Palestinian refugees
in Syria. Kuwait renewed its support this year with
the same value $15 million for Palestinian refugees
who are suffering from repercussions of the Syrian
crisis. —KUNA

Food producers
told to reduce
salt soon
KUWAIT: The state is looking into the option of
reducing salt from food products produced locally as
part of efforts to prevent high blood pressure in
Kuwait.
The Ministry of Health hopes for a regulation that
makes it mandatory for local food producers to
reduce sodium from items like nuts, pickles, potato
chips, etc as well as salt and fat from cheese, said Dr
Nawal Al-Hamad, the Food Department Manager at
the ministry.
“Awareness alone about the importance of reducing salt is not enough... and a legislation that makes
it mandatory for food producers to reduce salt from
their products is necessary to protect consumers’
health,” Hamad told Al-Jarida daily yesterday. The
nutrition specialist also called for changing the concept of subsidization in Kuwait “which is the only
country in the world that provides 17 food items at
subsidized prices”.
“In return, Kuwait spends millions of dinars for
treatment of chronic diseases,” she warned, adding
that 80 percent of those patients suffer diabetes,
heart diseases, cancer and other illnesses “that can
be avoided through healthy diets”.
Earlier this year, the MoH announced cooperation
with the Kuwait Flour Mills Company to reduce salt in
bread that the company produces by 20 percent.

Sharjah Capital of Islamic
Culture celebrations open
SHARJAH: Under the patronage of
Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Dr Sultan bin
Mohammad Al-Qassemi, the Sharjah
Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 celebrations kick off today featuring dignitaries,
media personalities and artists from all
over the world.
The guests will be at hand to attend
the premiere of the region’s biggest ever
theatrical spectacular, ‘Clusters of Light’,
which tells the story of Prophet
Mohammad (PBUH) from his birth to his
death and clarifies the true essence of
Islam.
The Higher Organizing Committee
and the Executive Committee for
Sharjah’s Islamic Culture Capital 2014 celebrations have completed all arrange-

ments for the reception of the emirate’s
guests, who will be accommodated in
Sharjah’s leading hotels.
More than 500 journalists, broadcasters and media executives from around
the world, along with local media representatives, will report on the groundbreaking oratorio which will have its premiere show today at the new Open Al
Majaz amphitheatre.
An event to unveil the memorial for
the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture
opens the celebrations this evening, followed by the official opening of Al Majaz
amphitheatre and the premier of the
‘Clusters of Light’ musical. The four subsequent performances will be held on
March 31, April 1, 3, and 4.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

LOCAL
kuwait digest

In my view

My son wants to get married. I
told him I have no objections,
but don’t have children!!!

Summit and
solidarity

Kuwait’s
conferences

By Mustafa Al-Sarraf

A

rabs, because of the Palestine occupation, were in
solidarity in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and formed a force
that confronted the Western Zionist colonization,
and resolution 242 was issued despite the dominance of
imperialist countries (America, France, Britain) in the UN
Security Council. But with great regret, as the Palestinian
issue was a reason to unify the Arab nation, it was also
the reason for fragmenting it. Zionism and Western
imperialism worked on diluting that decision by spreading differences in the Arab nation by siding with the
Zionist occupier from the middle of the ‘60s and the
arrival of the new conservatives under the umbrella of
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that
is influential in both the Republican and Democratic parties.
They were generous with money and arms with Israel,
surpassing all Arab countries combined. They sold technically inferior weapons to Arab countries to fight each other after splitting them and categorized them as moderate, which means that they succumbed to the Western
influence and rogue countries referring those who
opposed Israeli occupation. Then the Palestinian issue
took a backseat in the Arab summits’ agendas from being
the central issue that all Arabs were behind to becoming
the issue of the Palestinian people alone.
Four decades elapsed while Arabs are in disarray and
weak while running after the illusion of peace with Israel
to solve the Arab issue peacefully, and gave concessions
one after the other that only added to their weakness
and fragmentation, especially after Egypt veered away
from Arab consensus during the Sadat era, and that led
to most Arab countries succumbing to the Zionist influence. Yet, when the Zionists were kicked out of Lebanon
in 2000, and the resistance prevented its occupation a
second time in 2006, it revived the Arab nation which
agreed upon the importance of the resistance instead of
regular armies that are not armed at equal bases with
Israeli enemy, so the only thing left for Arab countries is
to restore their solidarity in order to regain their will and
impose respect upon imperialist countries.
This is so that it owns the independence of its decision
in running its affairs, preserve its wealth and direct it
towards real development programs instead of being
extorted by Western countries that are enemies to the
Arab nation as their deeds and conspiracies have become
as clear as the sun. So the Kuwait summit and making the
Palestinian cause the central issue will restore the Arab
unity towards one issue and with that restore Arab unity
and makes us get rid of the dissipation that was imposed
on us by Zionism and Western imperialism by stirring disputes with military coups, sectarian strife and by brutal
power, as they take advantage of our weakness and splits.
The decisions of this conference will not succeed without serious work and with conviction that we must solve
our problems and adopt the principal that what was taken by force will only be restored by force, whether moral
or armed resistance if needed, and there is no aspect other than that of resistance instead of giving up and give
concessions under the illusion of peace.

WANCE
S’ ALLO VT
D
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: GO
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OFFERS
TO HIT C

By Labeed Abdal

local@kuwaittimes.net

K

Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

Who said we have a govt?
By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

T

he majority of those who believe that they are
good observers of the local scene and have
gained enough experience and knowledge of
situations ongoing locally believe that the government and parliament are harmonious. Or that the
government ‘controls’ the current parliament, does
whatever it wants with it and passes through it laws
and projects required for its policies.
But the reality is completely different, because
there is a huge difference between the disappearance of the opposition and between loyalty or complete harmony. The current parliament lacks ‘political’ opposition against the government. It also lacks
complete loyalty from a majority that supports the
government and allows it to force its vision on the
parliament.
And this is for a simple reason that is supposed to
be obvious to whoever monitors the situation of the
government here — the government itself lacks harmony among its members. To put it more clearly, the
government does not have an actual program that
all Cabinet members agree upon and work together
to realize it.
Not only does the government lack a clear program, but also a clear approach. While we do have

the outlines of the dream of turning Kuwait into a
financial hub that are often mentioned in the government’s speech, there are no serious efforts to
draw the policies and take the political, economic
and social programs required to put Kuwait in that
direction.
The government does not even have a specific
program that leads its way and draws the maps for
the road it should take. Cabinets in Kuwait are often
formed to adopt the same programs and plans of
their predecessors. Since the 1960’s, cabinets and
ministers adopted the same plans and programs of
previous cabinets.
We do have a Cabinet, but we do not have a government, and that is where the problem lies. The
closest Cabinet that can be called a government was
the one formed in the 1974 parliament’s term. It lasted for only four years, after which the great backwards movement came to wipe out everything it had
achieved during its term.
The lack of uproar from the opposition does not
mean that the government and parliament share the
same political and economic visions, as anyone who
has been following up with both of their actions
notices that they lack political vision. —Al-Qabas

uwait has recently hosted several regional and
international conferences which, if we put aside
the traffic problems they usually create, come to
point out the important humanitarian role that the
state plays and which the Kuwaiti leadership, government and people fully understand. Kuwait hosted two
conferences to gather donations for the Syrian people
in coordination with the United Nations. These humanitarian conferences aimed to help millions of Syrian
refugees confirms Kuwait’s pivotal role in achieving
peace and stopping armed struggles.
The gathering of Arab and Gulf nations in Kuwait
last week at the invitation of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah reflects His Highness’ desire to end
conflicts in the Arab World and achieve convergence

We cannot deny that large
parts of the Arab world have
been affected by public revolutions against dictatorships that
suppressed the people’s will
and freedom of speech.
that helps realize positive results en route to ending
pending issues.
We cannot deny that large parts of the Arab world
have been affected by public revolutions against dictatorships that suppressed the people’s will and freedom
of speech. The Egyptian people’s revolution which ousted a dictator regime and then a president after both
violated public rights set an example for the entire
world.
We definitely hope that Kuwait hosts successful Gulf,
Arab and international conferences and manages to
reconcile relations between conflicting countries in
order to achieve peace for their people. The Internet
and social networks provide a platform for people to
express their opinion freely, which has proven critical to
public revolutions and events in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya,
Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and others. We hope that Arab
nations find a similar platform in Kuwait for the better
future of the Arab people.

in my view

How much are Arabs worth?
By Ali Ibrahim

A

nswering the question, “How much is the Arab region
worth?” points us to statistics from the World Bank which
suggest that the Arab region’s combined GDP is $2.5 trillion. This figure reflects the volume of economic activity of Arab
societies, whose entire population is estimated at approximately
362 million. Half of this GDP comes from Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries, who boast some of the region’s
strongest economies. In fact, some GCC countries enjoy some of
the highest average per capita income levels in the world.
Based on these figures, the Arab world-whose collective GDP
has jumped sharply in the past ten years-has outdone Southeast
Asia, whose 11 countries have a collective GDP of approximately
2 trillion dollars. (At one point these countries were known as the
“Asian tigers” due to the rapid economic growth they experienced.) The Arab world’s transformation is mainly due to the
large increase in oil prices and oil export proceeds.
These figures reflect the Arab region’s huge economic power.
Nevertheless, it is very much less than many industrial economies
such as Spain whose GDP is over $1.3 trillion and Germany whose
GDP exceeds that of the entire Arab region by $1 trillion. At the
end of the day, these are just figures and do not represent the full
truth since economic activity is, after all, a human one: with both
quantifiable and unquantifiable aspects. Some of the latter
include soft power elements such as a country’s cultural and civilizational contributions. Even in economics there are some activities which are not amenable to statistics.
In recent decades, a country’s strength has been measured
mainly through the volume of its economic and commercial
exchanges with the world and its ability to fulfil its population’s
aspirations more so than its military power. This is a truth that has
always been present in history but many have not given it the
importance it deserves. According to some historians, Germany,
which enthusiastically entered into World War I motivated by a
national desire for hegemony, did not need to do so since at the
time it boasted Europe’s most advanced and developed econo-

my. These historians argue that Germany’s economic power
would have allowed it to dominate its neighbors without the
need to fire a single bullet. However, the convictions at the time
were different and the view was that it was the number of troops
and weapons and control you had on the ground that really
determined how much power you had. As a result, Germany
entered a destructive war which it lost along with its allies and
emerged bankrupt with unprecedented inflation rates. This postWorld War I state of affairs led to the eruption of World War II,
which eventually produced a European order based on economic and commercial cooperation that proved beneficial for all. The
presence of a vital economy that created a broad, educated middle class and built institutions instrumental to the development
of the political sphere was key to the establishment and expansion of the Western democracies.
The Arab region has not been unaware of the significance
that development holds for occupying a position on the global
map. This is evidenced by Kuwait’s hosting the first Arab
Economic Summit in 2010 that tried to push forward the prioritization of economic cooperation and building a joint economic
system as the way forward for progress-before 2011 brought the
Arab Spring revolutions and their aftermath to the region.
A large part of what happened-what the International
Monetary Fund describes as the “Arab countries in transition”-was
rooted in economic concerns primarily, as well as political
demands, and was caused by failures to achieve comprehensive
development-a particular cause of public anger. Moreover, a
large part of the current fluid state of affairs and the turmoil and
violence of the “transitional phases” in these countries is due to a
failure in building proper institutions for the protection and
development of society.
In short, the Arab region is worth more than the statistics suggest-if it chooses the appropriate way for development in order
to activate its latent economic and social capabilities. And it is this
that will lay the firm foundation for political development.

kuwait digest

‘Suckers’ of public funds
By Dr Mohammad A Al-Mowatei

T

here are “suckers” of public funds exactly like bats. They
include members of parliament, politicians, writers and media
activists. There are also brokers and middlemen, and their role
is to play the mercenaries for the corrupted influential, who are
many. Those bats are carrying out one certain mission, which
emanates from the idea of receiving money before the mission is
done and after that. They practice political witticism, as well as
media noise and illegal collusion, and exchange wrong information
and false clouds.
These types of bats aim at spoiling every project and destroying
every initiative and dismantling any achievement and obstructing
any steps towards success, once through doubting projects’ feasibilities, another by pre-accusations of initiatives and a third by personal
attacks - even some of them reach the point of fighting success and
achievement, because they do not have any role in making it.
Or because their extortion failed in making them benefit
financially from it, or because the influential who hired them did
not reach their goal of monopolizing projects or feeding on
them, they employ money, efforts, media and politics to destroy

the country by their deviated escalation, because they are on
one side and the country’s interest is on the other, and they are
the majority, with regret.
We do not deny that the country is under corruption in many
aspects that led to its backwardness, and its living in the circle of
continued corrosion, which harmed most of its establishments
extensively. Yet the most dangerous thing is role the public funds
bats are playing, who must eat from every project and share in
every budget and steal from every contract, otherwise they will
play their destructive role for every project in the country, or by
their political witticism in criticizing every achievement or their
media noise to destroy every attempt for success, as long as they
do not get the lion’s share in any of that.
They succeeded in spreading the culture of their illegal methods, and many used them with good intentions or those hired to
do so. People were unaware that these bats do not care about the
people, and think that is limited to them. We must shed the light in
dark spaces and corners, so that those bats do not find a place to
build their nests in. —Al-Qabas

LOCAL
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

Call to lower Internet
charges in Gulf region
Affordable services will boost e-services
DUBAI: A key organisation that promotes digital skills and cyber safety in
the Gulf, has called for Internet
charges to be reduced in the region
to encourage a higher take-up of
smart services. ICDL GCC Foundation
said lower prices were important to
broaden the adoption of Smar t
Government ser vices, launched
recently in a number of GCC states.
“Lower Internet charges will
undoubtedly promote the subscription of data packages by the masses,
which is highly important for Smart
and e-Services to reach out to each
and every member of society,” the
organisation said in a statement.
ICDL has lauded the efforts undertaken by regional governments
toward building an integrated digital
system, which is accompanied with
the aim to boost the Smar t
Government’s e- and m-Services. It
said regional governments have registered their highest levels of ICT
investment in 2013, with Kuwait tak-

ing the lead at $28 billion followed by
Saudi Arabia at $4.8 billion. Qatar and
the UAE take third and fourth place
with a total spending of $3 billion and
$2.7 billion, respectively.
But ICDL also pointed out that
governments should take effective
measures to bring down the high
data service rates to make them more
affordable for all Internet users.
According to a recent study conducted by the ICDL GCC Foundation, the
rates for data service in the GCC are
still high in comparison to other
countries and diverse among each
other as well.
According to the study, the rates
of monthly mobile internet data for
1GB in Saudi Arabia starts from AED
23.5, AED 47.7 in Oman, AED 63.3 in
Qatar, and AED 100 in the UAE. The
mobile data packages in Kuwait start
at AED 104.03/month for 6 GB while it
is AED 195.35/month in Bahrain for an
unlimited data. The foundations
added that services for mobile data

packages and home broadband connections also command a higher
price in the GCC when compared with
the US and the UK.
“ The GCC government must
proactively work on long-term strategic objectives to establish public private partnerships that will eventually
help to bring down telecommunication rates in the region. Better coordination and collaboration between
government and Internet service
providers will also help in bridging
this gap,” said Jamil Ezzo, director
general of ICDL GCC Foundation.
He added: “The governments of
the GCC have launched Smart and eServices for the benefits of its people
and visitors. However, high telecommunication rates acts as a major
obstacle for people to access to these
services. There is a greater need for
affordable telecom services so that
people from all walks of life can have
easier access to the Internet.”
— Arabian Business

Kuwait hosts ANOC meetings
KUWAIT: The Association of
National Olympic Committees
(ANOC), headed by its President
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah,
started its meetings in Kuwait yesterday attended by several international sports officials, including IOC
Thomas Bach.
The body, which aims to build a
bridge of communication between
national Olympic federations and
the
International
Olympic
Committee (IOC) among other
global organisations and provides
solutions that serve the needs of
athletes around the world, held several sub-committee meetings yesterday.
These included the International
Relations Committee, the Finance
and Audit Commission and the
Marketing and New Sources of
Finance. The meetings, hosted by
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
which Sheikh Ahmad also heads,
are of crucial importance to improv-

ing the functionality of ANOC in
serving national Olympic committees and athletes around the world,
International Relations Commission
member and Algerian Olympic
Committee chief Mustapha Berraf
said. The official, who is also the
Senior Vice President of the
Association of the National Olympic
Committees of Africa (ANOCA), said
that the International Relations
Committee is one of the most
impor tant as it forms a link
between the committee and international sports and non-sports
organisations.
The meeting discussed means to
improve ANOC’s relations with
UNESCO, UNICEF, the IOC and other
international sports federations.
The commission is committed to
searching for an appropriate
groundwork for partnerships and
constructive cooperation with
these organisations in order to
achieve its interests aimed at

improving the capabilities and role
of Olympic bodies around the
world, he noted.
Berraf hailed the commitment of
Sheikh Ahmad since the Kuwaiti
sports official began assuming his
responsibilities in April 2012, and
his role in developing ANOC and in
carrying out pledges he made after
being voted in at the general
assembly.
The meeting was crucial and
necessary, he added, as it “helped
us think about our position on the
future of ANOC and its role in
spreading Olympic values and principles and serving the interests of
national Olympic federations.”
Reiterating these notions, head
of the Spanish Olympic Committee
Alejandro Blanco stressed the
importance of these meetings for
the future of ANOC and its role in
spreading these values in the service of national Olympic bodies,
sports and athletes. — KUNA

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

LOCAL

Man ‘kidnaps’ neighbor’s
son to ‘teach him a lesson’
Woman causes accident after breakup
KUWAIT: A man reported to police to that his
car was stolen with his toddler inside, only to
discover later that his neighbor had taken it from
outside his house “to teach him a lesson”. The
Kuwaiti man told Sulaibikhat police officers that
he left his three-year-old son inside his car for
three minutes after turning the engine on for
heating, but found out after he came out of the
house that his car was missing. Detectives soon
found the car parked under a tree near the man’s
house. They could not find the boy inside it,
however. Minutes later, officers at the scene
were approached by a man who said that the
vehicle belonged to his neighbor, and that his

tionship. However, the two sides reconciled after
the man said that the experience made him realize how much his girlfriend loved him. According
to the police report, the incident took place at the
Fahaheel Highway Friday morning when the man
was driving an SUV and was hit from behind,
which caused the vehicle to lose balance, turn
over twice and then crash into a firefighter’s car
who was on his way to work. The firefighter made
an emergency call before helping the man out of
his vehicle. He saw the female driver standing
outside her car crying, thinking she was suffering
a nervous breakdown after causing the accident.
The man was taken to Adan Hospital in an

KUWAIT: A fire broke out in a pickup vehicle behind the vegetable market in Kabed, said security sources noting that Kabed firemen rushed to the scene and managed to control the fire to
find out afterwards that the vehicle had been reported stolen. —By Hanan Al-Saadoun
neighbor’s son is safe inside his house and playing with his kids.
The man explained to police that he became
angry when he came out of his house and found
that his neighbor had left his toddler alone in
the car with the engine running. At that point,
he decided to take the car and make his neighbor believe that his son was kidnapped so that
he can be taught a lesson. Police escorted the
man to the police station with his neighbor’s
son. They called his neighbor who came over,
took his son and decided against pressing
charges after seemingly learning his lesson.
Police filed cases of police annoyance and filing
a false report against the two men, nevertheless,
and referred them for further questioning.
Road accident
A man was involved in an accident after his car
was hit by his girlfriend who was chasing him
after he told her that he wanted to end their rela-

ambulance and was soon discharged after he got
his minor injuries treated. He and the female
driver were taken to Riqqa police station where a
case was filed. It was revealed that the two are
romantically involved, and had a dispute during
a private meeting before the incident took place.
The girl drove behind the man after he left her,
and hit his car accidently during the chase. The
man did not press charges, and instead decided
to keep his relationship after saying that the incident made him understand how much the girl
loved him and did not wish to break up with her.
Rapists caught
Andalus detectives arrested three men who
kidnapped a man in Riggae and raped him in the
Jahra desert. The Filipino man had told local
police that the suspects lured him to their car
after he walked out of a restaurant after work.
They drove to a remote location in Jahra, raped
him at gunpoint and then dropped him off near

a house in the area. The man said that the suspects also stole his cell phone before escaping.
Detective used the license plate number of the
suspects’ car which the victim provided to identify its owner. The Saudi man was arrested and put
under questioning, during which he admitted
the crime and gave information of his two
accomplices. The bedoon men were soon arrested and referred with the first suspect to the public prosecution.
Fatal crash
A man died and another was critically wounded after their car was involved in an accident on
Salmi Highway Friday morning. Police and paramedics rushed to the scene in response to an
emergency call reporting that a vehicle lost balance and overturned. The Saudi driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while his companion
was rushed to Jahra Hospital and admitted in the
intensive care unit in a critical condition. Criminal
investigators transported the body to the forensic
department after examining the scene.
Investigations went underway to determine the
circumstances behind the case.
Attempted murder
Fintas police are looking to summon an area
man for questioning in attempted murder
charges pressed by his ex-wife. The Kuwaiti
woman told local police that her ex-husband
tried to run her over outside a co-operative society branch in the area. She said that the Kuwaiti
man saw her by coincidence after she had just finished shopping. A case was filed for investigations.
Two deaths
A middle-aged man was found dead in
Khaitan for reasons that remain under investigations. Police and paramedics headed to an apartment in the area in response to an emergency call
made at 7:00 am on Friday. The 49-year-old Indian
man was pronounced dead in his bedroom
before criminal investigators were called. The
body was in rigor mortis which suggest that the
man died hours before his death was discovered.
The body was taken for an autopsy to determine
the cause and time of death.
In another incident, a man died from a cardiac
arrest he suffered while having dinner inside a
restaurant on Gulf Road Thursday night. An
ambulance arrived at the scene in response to an
emergency call made at 10:30 pm. Paramedics
performed CPR in a bid to revive the 42-year-old
Egyptian man’s pulse, but their attempts failed.
They pronounced the man dead from circulatory
collapse before calling criminal investigators. The
body was taken to the forensic department and a
case was filed.

NBK marks Earth Hour

NBK turns off lights
to mark Earth Hour
KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)
will turn off its lights tomorrow to mark
Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a global event
designed to raise consciousness on the
importance of environmental protection
and energy efficiency and the need to
take action on global warming.
NBK will support the awareness campaign by switching off all non-essential
lighting at its head office around Kuwait
for a period of one hour between 8:30 pm
to 9:30 pm.
“NBK was the first bank in Kuwait to
promote an environment awareness program that included conservation and protection of our environment. We are glad
to participate as a way to raise awareness
about the importance of conservation
and the damage caused by global warming,” said Abdul Mohsen Al-Rushaid, NBK
Public Relations Manager.
NBK supports a variety of activities and
initiatives to encourage greater awareness of energy conservation and environ-

Kuwaiti delegation visits Morocco
TETOUAN, Morocco: A delegation of Kuwait’s
Municipality, headed by Nayif Badr Al-Sour, has
visited headquarters of municipal authority in
Tetouan.
Ahmad Abu Khabza, the head of ‘Al-Jamaa AlHadariyah’ in the city, said in a statement during
the offices’ tour that the authority supervisies
municipal affairs, utilities and other public services in the city.
The head of the diwan, Mohammad Al-Khlouf,
said all municipal services are available in the city,

indicating that the private sector is allowed to
have a stake in some public enterprises.
Tetouan is one of Morocco’s top tourist cities
with diverse panoramic sightings, However, it
lacks entertainment cities, thus investors have an
opportunity to launch business in this particular
sector, he added.
The local municipal authorities maintain the
city historic heritage. Its ancient fortress of seven
gates had been built to protect it against
invaders. —KUNA

Society examines Kuwait’s
key environmental sites
KUWAIT: A team of Kuwaiti Environment
Protection Society is examining key environmental sites to study wild, animal and
botanic wealth as well as geological and
topographic nature of these locations.
The continuing field examination of
these locations by a team from the
society programs’ department has
shown that some wildlife spots in the
country are rich in living creatures, as
compared to such places in other
regional countries, and although there

is little attention paid to them, they
could be classified as tourist sites, said
the department director, Jenan
Bahzad, in a statement yesterday.
Jal Al-Zor is one of the potentially
most important tourist locations in
Kuwait, with a location 150 meters
above sea level. It is a lucrative place for
scientists and photographers. Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Reserve is a distinctive
feature of the region. The fenced 320sq-km reserve “contains treasures of the

desert,” as she put it, referring to abundant natural and wildlife potentials that
exist in it.
Bahzad said this lush reserve, with
beaches stretching for 16 kms, has
turned into an ideal habitat for settled
or migrating birds as well as various
species of animals, namely deer and
foxen. It also hosts diverse trees, shrubs
and plants. Other features of the reserve
is the 25-m-deep Umm Al-Rumum
Wadi. —KUNA

Kuwait supports UN resolution on
accountability for Syrian violations
GENEVA: Kuwait voted on Friday in favor of a UN Human Rights
Council resolution stressing the need to ensure that all those
responsible for violations of international humanitarian law or
abuses of human rights in Syria to be held accountable.
Kuwait supported this resolution through its membership of
the UN Human Rights Council during the discussions and the
preparation of this resolution.
Another 31 countries voted in favour of the resolution, 11
abstained and four rejected, namely Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and
Ghana.
The resolution reaffirms that, in the context of an inclusive and
credible dialogue, the Syrian people should determine the process
and mechanisms to achieve justice, reconciliation, truth and
accountability for gross violations and abuses of international law,
as well as preparations and effective remedies for victims, taking
into account the relevance of referrals to the appropriate international criminal justice mechanism under appropriate circumstances.
The resolution demands that the Syrian authorities meet their
responsibility to protect the Syrian population.
At the same time, the resolution strongly condemns the use of
chemical weapons and all indiscriminate methods of warfare in
the Syrian Arab Republic, which is prohibited under international
law, amounts to a serious crime and has a devastating impact on
civilians, and in this regard calls upon the Syrian authorities to
accelerate the complete and irreversible destruction of their chemical weapons programme and the removal of its chemical
weapons in accordance with their obligations under the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons.
Negotiated solution
The resolution expresses its support for the efforts of the Joint
Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of
Arab States to find a negotiated political solution to the Syrian crisis, and urges those countries with influence over the Syrian parties to take all measures to encourage the parties to negotiate constructively and on the basis of the call made in the Geneva communique for the formation of a transitional governing body.
The resolution strongly condemns the intentional denial of
humanitarian assistance to civilians, from whatever quarter, noting
especially the responsibilities of the Government of the Syrian
Arab Republic in this regard, and deplores the deteriorating
humanitarian situation.
The resolution also strongly condemns the use by the Syrian
authorities of starvation of civilians as a method of combat, and
further condemns the besiegement of civilians.
Further strongly condemns all acts of violence directed against
humanitarian actors, and demands that the Syrian authorities

promptly allow, and all other parties to the conflict not hinder, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for United Nations
humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders, in order to ensure that
humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most
direct routes.
Financial support
The resolution urges the international community, including all
donors, to provide urgent financial support to enable the host
countries to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian
refugees, while emphasizing the principle of burden-sharing.
The resolution welcomes the report of the commission of
inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic and decides to extend the
mandate of the commission of inquiry through to the 28th session
of the Human Rights Council, and requests the commission to
present a written report on the situation of human rights in the
Syrian Arab Republic during an interactive dialogue at the twentyseventh and the 28 sessions of the Council and to provide an oral
update to the Council during an interactive dialogue at the 26th
session.
It demands that the Syrian authorities cooperate fully with the
commission of inquiry, including by granting it immediate, full and
unfettered access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic.
At the same time the resolution calls upon all groups in the
Syrian Arab Republic to refrain from retaliation and violence,
including sexual violence and torture, and urges all parties to the
conflict to prevent violations of international humanitarian law
and human rights violations and abuses.
It strongly condemns the continued gross, systematic and
widespread violations of human rights and all violations of international humanitarian law by the Syrian authorities and affiliated
militias, including those involving aerial bombardment of civilian
areas, in particular the indiscriminate use of barrel bombs, ballistic
missiles and cluster bombs, and other actions that may amount to
war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The resolution expresses grave concern at the spread of
extremism and extremist groups, and strongly condemns all
human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian
law in the Syrian Arab Republic.
It strongly condemns all violations and abuses committed
against children, and urges all parties to comply with their obligations under international law and demands that all parties demilitarize medical facilities, schools and other civilian facilities, avoid
establishing military positions in populated areas and desist from
attacks directed against civilian objects.
The resolution strongly condemns all violence against persons
belonging to religious or ethnic groups, and calls upon all parties
to fully respect international law.—KUNA

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

Mudslide death toll
mounts; 90 missing

World Trade Center stunts trigger security concerns
Page 8

Page 9

Saudi women renew push for right to drive
Obama urged to use female agent as driver in Saudi
DUBAI: In the six months since Saudi
activists renewed calls to defy the kingdom’s ban on female drivers, small numbers
of women have gotten behind the wheel
almost daily in what has become the country’s longest such campaign. Organizers are
calling on more women to join in on
Saturday, when President Barack Obama
visits Riyadh. The activists say their longterm goal is not just to win Saudi females
the freedom to drive, but to clear a path for
broader democratic reforms.
This week, 70 members of the US
Congress signed a bipartisan letter to
Obama urging him to raise critical human
rights cases in Saudi Arabia and meet with
female activists. So far the White House only
announced plans for Obama to meet King
Abdullah and US Embassy staff. Amnesty
International urged the president to go
even further and select a female Secret
Service agent as his driver while in Saudi
Arabia - a move that is highly unlikely, since
Obama is coming to the kingdom for the
first time since 2009 to repair strained relations between the US and its Arab ally.
Since Oct 26, the first day of the renewed
campaign, more than 100 women have gotten behind the wheel, said Eman Al-Nafjan,
an organizer. So far, the government
appears unwilling to launch a crackdown.
While it is still uncommon to see women
driving in Saudi Arabia, they have been
sending videos and photos of themselves
behind the wheel to the campaign’s organizers, who then upload the footage to
YouTube almost daily. “It’s very hard to
strategize in a place where political activism
has no history,” Al-Nafjan said. “So our strategy is to keep marching on and to see if
people join or not.”
Naseema Al-Sada has driven in the eastern region of Qatif. She said public attitudes
have changed in the past six months, as evidenced by the way the campaign is openly
talked about in the Saudi media. “Women’s
rights are no longer a taboo subject,” she
said. In an opinion piece this week published by the Saudi-based Arab News website, columnist Sabria Jawhar wrote that
Saudi society either accepts or is indifferent
to women getting behind the wheel now. “If
Oct 26 has taught us anything, the driving
ban is a government position. I have said
many times in this column that I and most
of the women I know want the right to
drive whether we actually get behind the

wheel or not,” she wrote.
Activists say allowing women to drive
will have a domino effect for civil rights in
Saudi Arabia, where a strict interpretation of
Islam known as Wahhabism is effectively
the law of the land. Women must get permission from a male relative - usually a husband or father, but lacking those, a brother
or son - to travel, get married, enroll in higher education or undergo certain surgical
procedures. “And this is what scares people:
That women will be out of the total control
of men,” Al-Sada said. Though there is no
law on the books that explicitly bars women
from driving, the Interior Ministry, which
oversees the traffic police in Saudi Arabia,
will not issue driver’s licenses to women. So
far, the ministry has warned that violators
will be dealt with firmly. Police have also privately told the campaigners not to speak to
the media, warned them not to drive and
followed some around for days.
Women caught driving have been
forced to sign pledges not to do it again. If
they are caught again, they are pressured
to sign another pledge. A male relative is
called to pick them up from a police station or on the side of the road. The men are
then made to sign pledges they will not let
the women drive. In one case, a woman’s
car was confiscated and has not been
returned to her since January. In another,
writer and schoolteacher Tariq al-Mubarak
was detained for several days and interrogated when police found out that the
mobile phone number used by organizers
was registered under his name.
Still, the government response is more
muted than in the past. During the first
major protest, in 1990, around 50 women
drove. They were jailed for a day, had their
passports confiscated and lost their jobs.
Their male relatives were also barred from
traveling for six months. Then in June
2011, about 40 women got behind the
wheel in a protest sparked when a woman
was arrested after posting a video of herself driving. One woman was later arrested
and sentenced to 10 lashes. The king overturned the sentence. Madeha Al-Ajroush,
who was part of the first driving campaign
more than two decades ago, said she
wants Obama to address human rights
while in Saudi Arabia. “We’re not oil; we’re
also people,” Al-Ajroush said. “The humanity of Saudi Arabia needs to be looked at
seriously.”— AP

Disquiet over Erdogan’s
pharaonic megaprojects
ISTANBUL: Osman Erkov’s farm sits pretty in a
seaside village near Istanbul, but soon it will
make way for one of Turkey’s many new
megaprojects, billed the “world’s biggest airport”. “Look how beautiful it is, this landscape,”
said the dairy farmer, looking across the Black
Sea village of Yenikoy on the rural fringes of
the sprawling megacity of over 15 million people. “Well, all that will disappear,” he said, gazing at the future site of Istanbul’s third airport,
one of many grand projects of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan who was once the city’s
mayor.
Erkov has worried about the future since
surveyors showed up to map the wooded
landscape which bulldozers are set to clear to
build new runways and terminals within four
years. “Here everyone lives off raising livestock,”
he said. “What do we do now?” Fellow farmer
Arif Akdemir said the state offered him compensation of 50 lira ($23/17 euros) per square
meter, which he claims was a tenth of the market value. “They told us ‘take this money and
start a new life somewhere else’. But what kind
of life can you have with such a sum?” On
Sunday, voters like Erkov and Akdemir will go
to the polls in local elections that are seen as a
crucial popularity test for Erdogan and the
building boom under his rule that has
changed the face of the city.
‘Airport, tunnels, bridges’
Since Erdogan took power 11 years ago, he
has driven rapid economic growth and boosted Turkey’s image as a regional player, a record
now tinged by street protests against him and
a festering corruption scandal. Whatever his
legacy will be, he has already left his mark on
the skyline of Turkey’s cultural and commercial
centre. Under the rule of Erdogan’s Islamicrooted Justice and Development Party, there
has been a frenzy of construction in Istanbul,
with new skyscrapers, highways and residential towers shooting out of the ground.
To millions of Turks the modernization has
been a source of national pride. A new train
tunnel opened in October under the
Bosphorus strait that divides the city’s
European and Asian sides, and work has started on a second tunnel for road traffic. Other,
far bolder plans include a “second Bosphorus”,
a 40-kilometre canal that would cut through
Istanbul’s European side to divert shipping,
with new million-strong cities planned on its
banks. Some critics have dubbed such

pharaonic visions “crazy projects”.
Environmentalists are alarmed about the
building boom, which also includes a new
highway that will link the new airport to a third
bridge over the Bosphorus.
The plan will destroy more than 7,500
hectares of forest. “Here you have Istanbul’s
last forest area and the water catchment area
that supplies the city,” said Hakan Ganimgil of
the Association for the Defense of the
Northern Forest, who dubbed the plan an
“environmental disaster”. Cultural heritage
experts warn the highway will cut through
eight archaeological sites, a frequent concern
in the former Constantinople, seat of the
Byzantine and then Ottoman empires. The
government camp stands by the ambitious
infrastructure drive. “We must pay attention to
the environment, but we can’t stand idly by
with our arms crossed,” said Cemal Demir, head
of a think tank close to the AKP. “These projects will help create new jobs and give confidence to our people.”
‘Delusions of grandeur’
It was plans for another new developmentrazing the city’s small green space of Gezi park
for an Ottoman-style museum and shopping
complex-that last June sparked unprecedented protests against Erdogan. The local polls on
Sunday will be the AKP’s first ballot box test
since that unrest, and since a major corruption
scandal broke in December, implicating
Erdogan and his political and business allies.
The tales of sleaze-based on leaked audio
recordings that have spread on social mediapaint a murky picture of official bribes and
backhanders, some for re-zoning of public
lands.
In many of the biggest projects, said urban
planner Tuta Inal Cekic, “the common feature is
government expropriation of public land for
privatization in juicy real estate deals”. JeanFrancois Perouse, of the French Institute of
Anatolian Studies, argued many of the projects
are unnecessary as Istanbul’s urban growth
has slowed. “This development model reveals
delusions of grandeur that are hardly justifiable in the era of sustainable cities,” he said.
The government says all criticism and graft
probes are part of a foreign plot to stop the
construction of Istanbul’s giant future airport.
Erdogan has regularly told crowds at campaign events that “they want to stop us from
building a new Turkey”. — AFP

RIYADH: Aziza Yousef drives a car yesterday as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabiaís ban on women driving. — AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Loyalty to Erdogan lies deep in Turkey’s pious heartlands
Residents point to development, see scandal as plot
KONYA: If Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
is fighting the toughest battle of his
political career as corruption allegations
swirl and elections approach, Turkey’s
conservative Anatolian heartlands
appear to have his back. Here, far from
dividing his pious core supporters, the
graft scandal and bitter power struggle
with a US-based cleric have served only
to stir more devotion to a man they see
as Turkey’s greatest modern leader,
delivering hospitals and schools and
breaking the grip of secular elites over
the past decade.
The run-up to pivotal local elections
today has been overshadowed by a corruption affair that has seen almost daily
recordings published anonymously on
social media claiming to show illicit dealings by Erdogan’s inner circle. One senior

(teacher) Fethullah is doing,” she said at
an AK Party rally on Friday. “A flock of
swines that stormed our spiritual gardens,” read one banner, referring to
Gulen and his followers. Tens of thousands turned out for the rally, turning
Konya into a sea of AK Party flags and
colorful Muslim headscarves. Some
wore masks of Erdogan’s face, while old
men scaled trees for a sight of their hero,
only to be bitterly disappointed when he
cancelled after orders to rest his voice.
Golden years
The AK Party’s billboards praise their
“ten golden years” in charge of Konya
municipality, and opposition parties
barely bother to campaign here.
Thursday brought the release of a
recording of top security officials dis-

KONYA: Supporters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) wave flags
during a campaign meeting in the Beysehir district of Konya province in
central Turkey. — AFP
official called the crisis “one of the
biggest in Turkish history” and the government has responded by blocking
Twitter and YouTube, drawing public
anger and international condemnation.
But in Konya, a conservative city that
gave Erdogan’s AK Party 70 percent of
the vote in a 2011 general election,
many see the scandal as the prime minister does: part of a “dirty plot” to unseat
him by ruthless and immoral political
enemies.
“Nothing but lies,” said 19-year-old
Konya student Hatice Kubra, following
the party line that US-based cleric
Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally
whose followers say they number in the
millions, was responsible. “Allah sees
everything. Allah knows what Hoca

cussing possible military action in Syria.
Among those bugged was Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, member of
parliament for Konya. He received a rapturous welcome when he took to the
stage to speak in Erdogan’s place. “Are
you ready to give our prime minister an
even bigger share of the vote this time
Konya?” he asked to cheers. In this city,
where shopping centres, smart residential blocks and industrial parks have
developed around the tomb of Rumi, a
revered 13th-century poet and Sufi mystic who inspired the forming of Turkey’s
iconic whirling dervishes, there is a treasured sense of well-being, prosperity and
upward mobility - ascribed to Erdogan’s
vision and management.
A population of observant Muslims

with strong business nous who for
decades felt sidelined in a state run by
secular elites and their chaotic coalition
governments - feels their hour has come.
“We have hospitals at our doors, doctors,
picnic places, the fast train to Ankara,”
said Leyla Eroglu, a 54-year-old mother
of six, a huge banner of Erdogan’s face
tied around her body. “Turkey before
was horrible, constant fighting between
right and left, we couldn’t live easily.
Erdogan is our second Ataturk,” she said,
referring to the modern republic’s
revered founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
almost a century ago.
Divided youth
A wave of protests last summer in
major cities against Erdogan’s domineering leadership style highlighted tension
in Turkish society between a largely secular segment of the middle classes,
mostly in Istanbul or on the tourist-orientated coastline, and religious conservatives such as those in Konya. The
blocking of Twitter and YouTube in
recent days were seen as further evidence of Erdogan’s authoritarian
instincts, particular among a tech-savvy
younger generation.
But not all of Turkey’s youth are critical. “When I go to vote I will think about
everything they have given me,” said 21year-old Cihat Ozer, in Konya’s gleaming
and spacious municipality student centre opened in 2009, the year of the last
local election. Back then the centre had
just one university to cater for, providing
free extra-curricular courses and laundry
services, as well as a soup kitchen and
24-hour study rooms. Four more universities have since opened in the rapidly
growing city. New wooden gazebos dot
velvety lawns along the main avenues.
Historic mosques have been restored,
electricity is generated from waste, a
new football stadium is being constructed, and an already impressive airport is
being revamped and expanded.
Ozer acknowledged fellow students
sometimes grumbled about Erdogan’s
more reactionary policies, although he
defended the block on Twitter as the
premier battles the graft scandal. The
30-year-old head of the AK Party youth
wing, Ahmet Izi, pointed to a large
framed photo por trait of Erdogan
hanging in his office, showing a youthful looking prime minister at the time
he took office in 2002. “Look at him
now. He has become an old man. That
is from working and working for this
countr y,” he said, a message that
seemed to resonate with the supporters as Friday’s rally. —Reuters

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi national flag flutters as followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr crowd a street during open
air prayers in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. — AP

Parties jump the gun on
Iraqi election campaign
BAGHDAD: Despite the disarray
caused by the sudden mass resignation of election chiefs ahead of next
month’s polls, candidates for seats in
the Iraqi parliament are pressing
ahead with unofficial campaigning.
Keeping the printing houses whirring,
they have been putting up posters
and distributing leaflets. But wary of
breaking the rules, their early propaganda only obliquely refers to the
polls, scheduled for April 30, or skirts
election regulations by praising the
security forces alongside party
insignia. Iraq’s Independent High
Electoral Commission (IHEC) has taken
little action to curb such practices.
Much is at stake as Prime Minister
Nuri Al-Maliki bids for a third term at a
time that violence has surged to its
highest level since Iraq emerged from
a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian war
and as the country looks to ramp up
oil production. But the mass resignation of IHEC’s board on Tuesday has
sparked worries that the polls could
have to be delayed, though all major
parties insist the vote must be held on
time. Despite the confusion, however,
candidates have not taken their foot
off the pedal. “ We have printed
posters and campaign leaflets for
around 15 candidates” so far, said the
owner of the Abu Haidar printing

house, who only gave his nickname
Abu Mohammed, for fear of losing
other prospective clients.
Abu Mohammed’s shop, which lies
near Mutanabi street in the capital’s
historic centre, was packed to the
rafters with campaign posters and
election paraphernalia. Each candidate has spent around $1,000 on campaign materials, and more election
hopefuls are coming in, the shopowner said. He said customers included
would-be lawmakers from major blocs
including Maliki’s State of Law
Alliance and the Ahrar list which was
until recently linked to powerful Shiite
cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr. “Most of them
have already started to distribute their
electoral publicity material,” he said.
Officially, IHEC says campaigning
can only take place from April 1 to April
28. But it has not imposed penalties,
instead resorting to calls for posters to
be taken down. Those warnings have
done little to stop blocs from pushing
the envelope. The Citizens Bloc-formerly the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council,
which is seen as close to Iran-has plastered massive billboards across
Baghdad with the catchphrase:
“Citizens Want...?” Individual candidates, meanwhile, have put up their
own banners on which tribes praise
one of their own as a would-be law-

Crunch test for
Turkey’s Kurds in
local elections
DIYARBAKIR: Turkey’s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dogged
by a graft scandal and street protests, faces another headache
as today’s local elections near-rising discontent among the
Kurdish minority. One year since the banned Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a historic ceasefire, frustration is
growing about the slow pace of reforms among Kurds who
make up one fifth of Turkey’s population. The peace process
has stalled since September after the PKK accused the
Erdogan government of failing to deliver on its promises, and
militant voices have made clear patience is running out. In the
Kurds’ symbolic capital, the southeastern city of Diyarbakir,
the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is campaigning to strengthen its hold on the region in mayoral elections today.
In the ancient city on the Tigris, Kurdish music blares from
loudspeaker vans, and walls are covered with posters of veteran PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who remains behind bars on a
prison island off Istanbul. “The government has not been able
to demonstrate a democratic spirit in the run-up to the elections,” said the BDP’s mayoral candidate Gultan Kisanak as
dancers performed for the Kurdish New Year, Newroz.
“Democracy starts at the local level,” she said. “I dream of a
country where regional autonomy is established to serve the
needs of the locals. If we emerge stronger, we don’t have to
wait for the government to have our share of power.”
‘Father state behind us’
Among the Kurds’ key demands are constitutional changes
to enshrine their basic civil rights, Kurdish-language education in public schools and a degree of regional autonomy with
a parliament based in Diyarbakir. Ironically, the city polls will
pit the Kurdish-grassroots BDP against the party that has been
its main partner for peace, Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted Justice
and Development Party (AKP). Both sides have sought to gain
credit for ending the armed conflict which cost more than
40,000 lives over three decades.
The thaw started in late 2012, when Turkey’s spy agency
started talks with Ocalan. In March last year he announced the
ceasefire in a letter from Imrali Island where he has been serving a life sentence for treason since 1999. Erdogan’s government has since allowed Kurdish-language education in private
schools and scrapped a ban on the use of the letters Q, W and
X, which are used in Kurdish spelling but not in Turkish.
Election campaigns can now be held in Kurdish, and tensions
have generally eased. For the first time in years, people here
will go to the ballot box in a violence-free environment.
“A few years ago you would have been jailed for wearing
this,” said jewelry shop assistant Baki Icoz, sporting a jersey
that read “Kurdistan”. “The ‘father state’ is now behind us,” he
said. Not everyone is so sure. Local hospital orderly Ruken
Kaplan, 30, said “I’m glad that no-one is dying anymore. But
what if the AKP gives up for some reason or falls from power?
At the end of the day, it will be a Kurdish party that will protect my rights.” — AFP

maker. In Iraq, election hopefuls typically appeal to voters’ ethnic, sectarian
and tribal background, rather than
campaign on specific policies.
Blocs walk thin line
Maliki’s State of Law has put up
posters of its own, which do not refer
directly to the polls but rather show
scenes such as a young girl holding an
Iraqi flag or an elderly woman kissing
a soldier on his helmet. “It is really just
to hold the space on the billboards for
our posters,” said Samira Al-Mussawi, a
State of Law MP, referring to the bloc’s
posters. “Even billboard places are
being divided up for the election.” The
efforts highlight the fine line many
blocs are attempting to walk, before
official campaigning kicks off. In the
end, economics may have more of a
greater role than the election commission in restricting the printing of publicity material. Several printing houses,
including the one owned by Abu
Mohammed, have been chastened by
Iraq’s provincial elections held a year
ago. They had printed posters and
leaflets for candidates who promised
to pay after the polls but later
declined because their campaigns
were unsuccessful. “This time,” he said,
“we are refusing any delayed payments.”—AFP

World Trade Center
stunts trigger
security concerns
NEW YORK: A team of daredevil parachutists and a lone
teenager have triggered fears about lax security at New
York’s rebuilt World Trade Center, an emblem of the city’s
resilience and renewal after the horrors of 9/11. Within
the space of a fortnight, revelations of repeated security
breaches at what should be one of the most tightly
guarded buildings in the United States have been met
with incredulity by locals. The first breach took place at
night on September 30 last year, when three basejumpers-one of whom worked on the site-accessed the
tower before leaping off and descending to the streets of
Manhattan.
The second case, on March 16, saw a 16-year-old
enthusiast slip through a fence and take an elevator to
the 84th floor of the highly symbolic building. He then
made his way up to the 104th floor, sneaking past a
sleeping guard, before using a ladder to reach the spire at
the top of the 541-meter construction. The guard caught
napping was subsequently fired. The teenager was arrested and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass. In
the base-jumping case, four men-the three parachutists
and a lookout were arrested and charged this week following a five-and-a-half month investigation.
A video of the base-jumpers’ daring nighttime descent
appeared online this week, quickly racking up more than
a million views. One of the men arrested, 33-year-old
Andrew Rossig, said breaching security at the site had
required “no effort whatsoever.” “We just kind of walked
in. It’s supposed to be the most secure building in the
world,” he said. “God forbid it was somebody else getting
in there with a real intention to harm New Yorkers.”
No immunity for daredevils
New York Police Commissioner William Bratton decried
the stunt, however. “These men violated the law and
placed themselves, as well as others, in danger,” he said as
he announced the arrests. “Being a thrill-seeker does not
give immunity from the law.” Security for One World Trade
Center, which will become the tallest building in the
United States when it opens in 2015, is now shared
between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
and the Durst Organization real estate company, which
manages and leases the site, Durst communications chief
Jordan Barowitz said. When the base-jumpers pulled off
their stunt, the Port Authority was solely in charge of
security, he emphasized. “We are in charge of the security
inside the site since January. Outside, it’s Port Authority,”
Barowitz said. “We are very concerned and we are working with the Port Authority to improve the security of the
site,” he added. He did not reveal the number of personnel deployed to guard the tower, which has already
leased 55 percent of its office space ahead of the opening. Port Authority spokesman Joseph Dunne said officials were continuing to “reassess” security practices at
the site and were looking at ways of ensuring it was “as
secure as possible.” —AFP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Carlos Slim, TV
rivals slam Mexico’s
telecom reform
MEXICO CITY: The telephone empire of billionaire Carlos
Slim and Mexico’s dominant broadcaster never see eye to
eye, but they now have a common enemy: the government’s telecommunications reform plan. President Enrique
Pena Nieto’s administration introduced in the Senate this
week legislation to implement the constitutional reform that
passed in the Congress last year. The telecommunications
overhaul is a major piece of Pena Nieto’s structural reform
agenda, which includes historic changes in the energy sector, tax collection and education. But Televisa and Slim’s
America Movil have each found something to complain
about, while opposition parties accuse the government of
watering down the legislation’s goal of opening up the sector to more competition. Televisa has a 70 percent share of
the broadcast market, while Slim’s Telmex controls 80 percent of the fixed-line phone service and his Telcel company
has 70 percent of the mobile phone industry.
Deputy Communications Minister Jose Ignacio Peralta
defended the government’s proposal on Friday. “What has
changed in relation to the constitutional reform? Absolutely
nothing,” he told reporters. “The fundamental goals remain
firm.” America Movil, Latin America’s largest telephone company, published a full-page newspaper advertisement on
Friday calling the bill a “confiscatory proposal” because it
would require the firm to give away connection service to
rivals for free. The reform would in theory help Slim fulfill his
long-held desire to break into the television business, but
America Movil charged that the legislation would “protect
the main economic player in broadcasting.”
Threat of legal action
For its part, Televisa issued a statement saying the legislation contains “disproportionate” rules and warned that it
could take legal action to block them. The reform created a
new market regulator, the Federal Telecommunications
Institute (IFT), which already imposed restrictions on
American Movil and Televisa for controlling more than 50
percent of their sectors. The watchdog ordered the firms to
make their infrastructure available to competitors via public
offerings and barred them from acquiring exclusive broadcast rights for high-ratings events such as the Olympics and
the World Cup. But the opposition says the government’s
proposal would undermine the institute by placing many of
its regulatory powers in the hands of the ministries of the
interior, finance and communications. The conservative
National Action Party (PAN) and the leftist Democratic
Revolution Party (PRD) have called the legislation “inadmissible,” saying the centrist government’s proposal serves “political purposes.” —AFP

Mudslide death toll
mounts; 90 missing
Anguished relatives turn to the Internet
ARLINGTON: The death toll from a mudslide that has
left 90 people missing in Washington state appeared
certain to climb nearly a week after the disaster, as
anguished relatives turned to the Internet and word of
mouth for scarce scraps of new information. At least 26
people were killed when a rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning last Saturday, unleashing a towering wall of mud that flattened dozens of homes in a
river valley near the rural town of Oso, about 55 miles
northeast of Seattle. While fire officials directing search
operations at the disaster site have spoken of making
slow but steady progress in recovering remains of victims buried in the slide, the tally of the dead has
changed little in recent days, even as the number of
those listed as missing has held steady.
The lag appears related to a methodical protocol
being followed by Snohomish County emergency management officials and medical examiners. County
authorities say coroners have so far examined and identified the remains of just 17 people, including an infant
whose body was retrieved on Thursday, and they are
the only ones counted so far in the official death toll.
Remains of nine more individuals were previously
reported to have been located in the square-mile heap
of mud-caked debris and muck, but as of Friday they
had been excluded from the formal tally of lives lost.
County officials have insisted on revising that list
only as each set of remains goes through the painstaking process of being examined and identified by coroners, leaving the public mostly in the dark about the
retrieval of more bodies. The process has likely also
been slowed by the condition of some of the remains,
which according to rescue workers are not always being
found intact. News of additional remains being located
and recovered has been trickling out to family members
of the missing and dead through word-of-mouth and
other channels, however, thanks to community members working side-by-side with rescue teams in the
search for more victims.
Churches, fire stations
Area churches and fire stations are also go-to venues
for members of the community seeking updates, said
Gail Moffett of Oso, who lives 2 miles from the disaster
site and works at a hardware store in nearby Arlington.
“I go home and talk to the source, because it’s family,”
she said of the community network, including locally
based rescue workers, she has tapped into for information.
“They are all out there on the mudslide every day,
going back and going back and going back, day after
day after day, to make a difference and to help our people. And they just keep doing it and they come in at
night and their butts dragging, covered in mud, and
their faces are not the faces I knew last week,” she said.
Authorities have also in some cases allowed victims’ relatives onto the disaster site as the remains of loved
ones are recovered, and a moment of silence is
observed, as occurred when the body of the infant was
extricated on Thursday.
In one tragic case, a volunteer member of the search
team, Dayn Brunner, pulled the body of his own sister
36-year-old Summer Raffo, from the mud pile on
Wednesday. She was driving through the area when the
slide buried her in her car. Brunner, 42, took a day off to
grieve and rest, then returned to the debris field on
Friday to resume the search for more victims. An estimated 180 people lived in the path of the landslide.
Now, nearly a week after the disaster, fears have grown
that the final death toll
could approach the 90
people still listed as missing or unaccounted for a figure authorities
arrived at on Wednesday
after winnowing a much
larger list by about half.
Authorities have said
that some of those killed
might never be found,
and on Thursday braced
the public for news - still
yet to come - that the
number of dead would
increase substantially in
the next 24 to 48 hours.
Authorities have so far
publicly identified five
dead, while withholding
the names of others listed as dead or missing.
But about 40 people
have been identified on a
local blog site as potential landslide victims,
including several members of one family. All of
those discovered alive in
the mud were rescued by
helicopter within the first
few hours after the landslide, and rescuers have
found no further signs of
life, officials said.
Difficult phase
Volunteer
Bob
Michajla, 66, taking a
break from work combing through debris and
clearing a stretch of road
in the disaster zone, said
the search was entering a
more difficult phase.
“ They found the easy
bodies in the first few
days. The rest of them are
probably buried. That’s
what I was told,” said
Michajla, his face and fingers caked in mud. Local
fire district chief Travis
Hots said rain and wind
sweeping the area on

WASHINGTON: A car sits in ruins in the aftermath of a mudslide and related flooding in Oso, Washington. — AFP

Friday was working against the round-the-clock search
efforts. A flash flood alert was posted for the county,
extending through the next three days. With hopes for
finding any additional survivors continuing to fade
while uncertainty over the fate of dozens more lingers
on, the mood among the community has grown grimmer.
“This is going to get harder and harder,” said Dan
Rankin, mayor of nearby Darrington, as he choked back
tears at a town hall meeting attended by hundreds of
people on Thursday evening. “We need each other
more and more.” Bernie Tamez, 39, said he was comfortable that officials were dealing with the community
forthrightly, despite the dearth of tangible information.
“They’re keeping us informed,” said Tamez, a machinist
who took the week off to volunteer in Darrington where

he lives. Turned away from helping at the pile, he has
instead helped out in the community kitchen that has
been feeding a few hundred people each night before
the town hall meeting.
Meanwhile, residents like 45-year-old Larry Dwyer
who escaped the slide marveled at their luck. “We were
driving on that exact stretch two weeks ago. We were
right there,” Dwyer said as he watched his three sons
wave signs ushering motorists toward a food drive at an
Arlington market on a rainy Thursday evening. “That’s
why we’re out here right now. It’s a karma thing. When
it’s not you, you give.” Authorities were investigating the
cause of the mudslide. The Washington State
Department of Natural Resources said it would review
recent forestry activities in the area to determine
whether they might have been a factor. — Reuters

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

20 years after, Rwanda genocide flame stirs memories
NYARUBUYE: Rows of human skulls sit in glass cases
near the red brick Catholic church here. Some are
cracked in half; holes are punched in others. Hundreds
of arm and leg bones lie nearby. To the left is a table of
tools: rusty shovels, hoes, pipes, and a machete - the
weapons of genocide. Down the hill 10 miles, thousands of Rwandans gathered under spittles of rain to
watch the arrival of a small flame, symbolic fire traveling the country as Rwanda prepares to mark 20 years
since ethnic Hutu extremists killed neighbors, friends
and family during a three-month rampage of violence
aimed at ethnic Tutsis and some moderate Hutus.
Rwanda puts the death toll at 1,000,050. Rwandan
Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, speaking at a
memorial event in London this week, called the genocide “the most brutally efficient killing spree in human
history.” At the flame ceremony in nearby Kirehe on
Thursday, Theopiste Mukanoheli told the crowd how
as an 18-year-old she watched her neighbor dig a 10foot hole, a grave to cram bodies in. She was inside
Nyarubuye Catholic Church when attackers threw in
grenades, killing hundreds. Most of her close family
died there, she said.
Mike Nkuzumuwami, who helps look after the
rebuilt red-brick church, says 35,000 people died in his
hilltop community, a sea of green where tens of thousands of banana trees grow. He notes that one positive change the genocide has brought about is a near
erasure of the Hutu-Tutsi divide, a principle directive of

NYARUBUYE: Mike Nkuzumuwami stands by the rows of human skulls and bones that form a memorial to those who died in the redbrick church that was the scene of a massacre during the 1994 genocide, and which he helps to look after, in the village of Nyarubuye, eastern Rwanda. — AP
the Rwandan government, which wants Rwandans to
see themselves as Rwandan, not an ethnic tribe. “After
the killings no one has called me a Tutsi, and those
Hutus involved in the genocide regret what they have
done,” the 45-year-old said.

Ukraine’s Klitschko pulls out of
election, backs ‘Chocolate King’
KIEV: Ukraine’s presidential election effectively
became a two-horse race yesterday after boxerturned-politician Vitaly Klitschko pulled out and threw
his weight behind confectionary oligarch Petro
Poroshenko. Klitschko’s withdrawal sets up a May 25
contest between the man known as the ‘Chocolate
King’ and former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Poroshenko, 48, confirmed his candidacy late on
Friday. Several opinions polls already had him in the
lead even before he said he would run to succeed
ousted president Viktor Yanukovich.
Poroshenko was an early and influential supporter
of the ‘Maidan’ popular uprising that toppled
Yanukovich in late February, three months after he
spurned a deal on closer ties with the European Union
and plunged the country of 46 million people into turmoil. Speaking yesterday, Poroshenko said the political forces that brought down Yanukovich must stick
together to tackle the huge economic and security
challenges facing Ukraine. “I’m convinced it would be
a betrayal of Maidan if we were not united,” he told a
meeting of Klitschko’s UDAR (Punch) party, Interfax
news agency reported.
“I’m convinced that today the volume and scale of
the challenges facing the state ... demand this kind of
unity.” Ukrainians will vote under the shadow of
Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Black Sea Crimea
peninsula. Like Tymoshenko, who announced her candidacy on Thursday, Poroshenko has promised to
strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces and protect its borders, which the West fears are still under threat from a

possible Russian incursion into Russian-speaking
regions of eastern Ukraine. “We need to build a new,
efficient and modern Ukrainian army, which will
defend the sovereignty and integrity of our country,”
Poroshenko said late on Friday as he announced he
would run for president.
Billionaire businessman
He officially submitted his candidacy to the election authorities in Kiev yesterday. The oligarch, whose
net worth was estimated by Forbes at $1.3 billion, is
the owner of Roshen, one of the world’s top twenty
confectionary firms but which has borne the brunt of
trade sanctions from Russia since last year. He is an
experienced politician, having held several ministerial
posts including a brief stint as economy minister
under Yanukovich.
A prominent backer of the 2004-05 Orange
Revolution against the election fraud and sleaze of
Ukraine’s post-Soviet establishment, Poroshenko campaigned for the role of prime minister in its wake, but
lost out to Tymoshenko, who co-led the revolution.
Klitschko urged his supporters to back Poroshenko,
and announced he would run instead for mayor of the
capital. So far, no other candidate is seen mounting a
serious challenge to the two frontrunners. The parliamentary faction Party of Regions, Ukraine’s former ruling party, also announced its candidate yesterday.
Deputies voted for Mykhailo Dobkin, a businessman
and former governor of the eastern city of Kharkiv,
who fiercely opposed the Maidan uprising. — Reuters

School groups visit the church, mass grave and
museum of death. Near the skulls and bones are tables
of dusty brown clothes, sandals, slippers and shoes.
The younger generation does not understand the
genocide, Nkumuwami said, and Rwanda’s aging pop-

ulation doesn’t want them to repeat it. As
Nkuzumuwami spoke, 12-year-old Nikeyimana Obadia
lingered nearby, eager to interact with visitors. The
curious boy is growing up in a land of stick and mud
homes, where children eat cassava and beans and are
tasked with filling plastic jugs at the community
watering hole. His family speaks of the genocide at
times. He knows his grandfather died in it.
“This is very bad. I hope everyone doesn’t do this
because it’s easy to destroy life,” he said in a student’s
English. At the Kwibuka 20 ceremony - a Rwandan
word meaning remember - thousands of eyes gazed
upward to watch a slickly-produced film showing the
lesser scenes of genocide horror. A voice in English
says the killing spree was a planned political campaign
that came from an ideology called Hutu Power. Tutsis,
the video says, were meant to be exterminated.
Nsengiyomva Apollinaise, a local government official, says the flame ceremony that has traveled the
country and will make its way to the capital, Kigali, on
April 7, helps remind the country how far it has come.
The video shows newer, happier scenes, too: economic prosperity and the calm face of President Paul
Kagame. “This is something that happens every year,
an event to help each Rwandan personally remember
what happened, and examine the causes,” said
Apollinaise, who said his parents and siblings died in
the genocide. “And also to see the path to move forward on.”— AP

UK joins ‘gay club’
Gay couples marry for first time in Britain
BRIGHTON: Gay couples across England and Wales said “I
do” yesterday as a law authorizing same-sex marriage
came into effect at midnight, the final stage in a long fight
for equality. Following the first marriages amid a supposed
race to wed, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted:
“Congratulations to all same-sex couples getting married
today - I wish you every possible happiness for the future.”
The Conservative party leader also described the change
as an “important moment for our country”, and a rainbow
flag flew above government offices in London in celebration. While 15 countries have legalized gay marriage and
another three allow it in some areas, homosexuals remain
persecuted in many parts of the world.
The Church of England, insisting weddings should take
place only between a man and a woman, secured an
exemption from the new law. In London, John Coffey, 52,
and Bernardo Marti, 48, exchanged vows as the clock
struck midnight, before being pronounced “husband and
husband”. They were among several couples bidding to be
first to take advantage of last year’s Marriage (Same Sex
Couples) Act. In Brighton on England’s south coast, Neil
Allard and Andrew Wale exchanged vows and rings in the
opulent splendor of the Royal Pavilion in front of about
100 guests.
Wearing velvet-collared three-piece suits with white
flowers in their buttonholes, the smiling couple of seven
years hugged and kissed after sealing their marriage. “We
are very happy this day has come finally. It’s very exciting,”
said Wale, a 49-year-old theatre director. Campaigners
have insisted that only the right to marry gives them full
equality with heterosexual couples. Civil partnerships have
been legal since 2005 and marriage brings no new rightsthe ability to adopt, for example, was introduced in 2002.
“We didn’t want to get married until it was a marriage that
my mum and dad could have,” said Teresa Millward, 37,
who was marrying her long-term girlfriend yesterday.
The gay marriage law is the final victory in a long battle
stretching back to the decriminalization of homosexuality
in England in 1967. Cameron backed the change despite
strong opposition from members of his party and the
Church of England, which has rejected the idea that clergy
be allowed to bless couples in same-sex marriages. But
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the
world’s 80 million Anglicans, said the Church had accepted
the new law and would continue to demonstrate “the love
of Christ for every human being”.
Resistance elsewhere
A poll for BBC radio said 20 percent of British adults
would turn down an invitation to a same-sex wedding.
However, the survey also found 68 percent agreed gay
marriage should be permitted, with 26 percent opposing
it. Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, who have been
together for 17 years, also married shortly after midnight in
front of friends and their two adopted sons in London.

They hope their wedding will send out a message to
places like Nigeria, Uganda and Russia where the idea of
gay marriage is a distant dream. “There’s a lot of gay men
and lesbians around the world who are not invited to the
party,” McGraith, a clothing designer, told AFP ahead of the
big day. Same-sex couples who were married abroad are
now recognized under the new law, although not everywhere in the United Kingdom. Scotland, which has
devolved powers, is expected to introduce gay marriage
later this year, while the British-controlled province of
Northern Ireland remains deeply divided on the issue and
has no plans to change the law there. — AFP

Winds of change: Italians lose
centuries-old grip on Vatican
VATICAN CITY: A quiet revolution is afoot in the Vatican.
With many of Pope Francis’s new appointments, control
over the powerful city state is slipping, slowly but surely,
from the centuries-old grip of the Italian hierarchy. Popes
may come and go-and three in a row now have been nonItalian-but the inner workings of the opaque Vatican
bureaucracy, the Curia, have traditionally been the
province of Italian apparatchiks. Like Francis, his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI found themselves in the
midst of back-stabbing and turf wars in the Catholic
Church’s corridors of power, but they had little appetite for
disturbing the hornet’s nest.
The world’s first Latin American pontiff however has
had no such qualms, readily appointing fresh faces from
diverse countries-including lay people and women-much
to the chagrin of the old guard. Putting himself on what
one commentator dubbed a “collision course with the
Curia”, the Argentine has set up several international committees. The latest, created to root out paedophilia in the
Catholic Church, includes only one Italian out of eight. The
same is true of a body that he set up in April last year, just
one month into his papacy, to advise him on reforming the
Curia - his council of cardinals, nicknamed the G8.
Foreign cardinals have been awarded prestigious posts,
from the Australian George Pell-head of the new economy
ministry-to Germany’s Reinhard Marx, who leads up a
council tasked with overseeing the Vatican’s economic
management. Marx is assisted by Britain’s Brian Ferme and
Alfred Xuereb of Malta-who doubles as the pope’s very
influential private secretary. “By entrusting delicate government tasks to hierarchies that are made up mainly of
non-Italians who are not resident in Rome, the pope is putting himself on a collision course with the Curia’s tradition-

al power,” editorialist Ernesto Galli Della Loggia wrote in
Italy’s leading daily Corriere della Sera. “What seems to
emerge is a plan to concentrate (power) not in Rome, but
in his person,” he said.
‘Secret wantonness’
Galli Della Loggia described what Francis is up against:
“A certain shrewdness, an ability to mediate (and) impalpable but enduring influences” but also “ferocious ambition,
corruption and careerism and, sometimes, secret wantonness”. Lay people and women-traditionally underrepresented in the leadership of the 1.2 billion-member Churchfigure increasingly in new committees. A body tasked with
carrying out a detailed inquiry into the Vatican’s administration is made up of seven lay people, including a woman,
while the new committee on paedophilia includes five lay
people-four of whom are women-and just one cardinal.
Perhaps the most eye-opening appointment to that
panel was that of Marie Collins, an Irish survivor of sexual
abuse by a chaplain and an outspoken campaigner for
victims’ rights. What is more, instead of dictating the
committee’s mandate, Francis is confident that “the members can draw on their own actual experiences to define
the new organ’s remit themselves”, according to Marco
Politi from Il Fatto Quotidiano. All this does not mean the
pope is giving the Italians the cold shoulder: he has given
at least two key posts-the secretary general of the bishops’ assembly and the prefect of the congregation for the
clergy-to trusted Italian prelates. But those who longed
for the 77-year-old to decentralize and diversify power at
the highest levels of the Holy See hope Francis will continue as he has begun, ignoring the gnashing of teeth
from the ousted old guard.— AFP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Surge in crime near Mexico City raises alarm
CUAUTITLAN IZCALLI: While murders have dropped
across Mexico, a burst of violence has rattled the capital’s suburbs, with criminals dumping bodies on roadsides, kidnapping people in broad daylight and levying protection taxes. The crime surge in the State of
Mexico, which wraps around the capital like a horseshoe, has challenged President Enrique Pena Nieto’s
pledge to reduce the murders, kidnappings and
extortion plaguing his nation.
The state’s governor, Eruviel Avila, has described
the crime wave as “rare and temporary,” the violent
reaction of gangs dismantled by a police crackdown.
Other officials say part of the problem may be linked
to what Mexicans call the “cucaracha” effect, when
sweeps against drug cartels in one state cause criminals to scurry like cockroaches to neighboring regions.
This has again revived fears that the gangland violence seen elsewhere could infect Mexico City, which
remains a relative oasis from such mayhem.
“Part of the problem is this: The state of Mexico
has eight borders,” the state’s public safety secretary,
Rocio Alonso Rios said. “This has complicated the situation,” she said, noting that her state neighbors
Michoacan, Guerrero and Morelos, all known for drug
cartel violence. But security experts say the country’s
most populous state has struggled with violence for a
long time, even during Pena Nieto’s time as governor
from 2005-2011. “It is the norm, and permanent,” said
Alejandro Hope, a former intelligence official and
security expert at the Mexican Institute for
Competitiveness.

homicides in the first two months of the year, up from
303 in the same period last year, according to official
figures. Kidnappings and extortion have also
increased.
The state government has responded by dismantling 14 kidnapping gangs and deploying state police
to highways and cities, including 1,000 officers who
man checkpoints in Cuautitlan Izcalli, just a half hour
drive north of Mexico City. The suburb of 600,000
people has recorded 38 murders since January, the
majority appearing with execution-style bullet
wounds. “From January until nine days ago we had a
constant problem of executions. Not one week
passed without an execution,” Mayor Hector Karim
Carvallo Delfin told AFP on Monday. “It was a very difficult issue; people were very afraid. This had never
happened to us,” he said, blaming the problem on the
infamous “cucaracha” effect.
The mayor said bodies were abandoned in public
view, some accompanied by letters signed with the
words “Gulf Cartel,” a drug gang based in northeastern Mexico. Other signs were found in the city warning that the cartel was now in charge. But Carvallo
Delfin said the gangland killings stopped a week ago,
after authorities detained a band of 12 people
accused of murder, kidnapping and drug dealing. The
gang was rounded up last week after three of its
members kidnapped a man near Cuautitlan Izcalli,
leading to a daytime car chase with police and a
shootout that left a 14-year-old girl and 50-year-old
man dead, authorities said.

Weekly executions
After more than 70,000 people died in drug-related violence under his predecessor’s six-year term,
Pena Nieto has indicated that murders have dropped
since he took power in December 2012. But Mexico
State is bucking this downward trend. It has seen 374

Crime continues
On a recent afternoon, some 20 state police officers checked buses and frisked passengers in a rough
part of the city. “This is very good. We are full of criminals,” said Jose Rosas, a 61-year-old bag factory supervisor who has been robbed three times at gunpoint

IZCALLI, Mexico: Members of Mexico’s state police participate in a security operation in Cuautitlan
Izcalli, Mexico state. — AFP
since January. At a small grocery store up the road, stormed out of a car and opened fire, killing two peoshopkeeper Ismael Hernandez said a man walked in ple. Francisco Rivas, director of the National Citizens’
last month and threatened to end his “protection” Monitor, a civil society organization that tracks crime,
unless he got paid. “Crime continues despite the said the problem could be worse because Mexico
(state police) operation,” the 50-year-old said. Other State has underestimated its statistics in the past,
towns around Mexico City, a metropolis of 20 million only to revise them later. For Rivas, the state must
tackle the high level of corruption as part of its crimepeople, have witnessed similar brazen criminal acts.
Milenio television broadcast dramatic security fighting efforts. “We are very worried because we
camera footage of an attack on a karaoke bar in don’t see a plan to resolve the issue of impunity,” he
Netzahualcoyotl last month, when five gunmen said.— AFP

Syrian army takes two
villages near Lebanon
DAMASCUS: Syrian government forces captured yesterday two villages near the border
with Lebanon after clashes with opposition
fighters, cutting a major supply route for
weapons and fighters into Syria, state TV said.
The report said the villages of Flita and Ras
Maara fell into the hands of government
forces early in the day. The Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed troops were inside the two villages
and advancing, although it had no immediate word on whether they fell to government
forces.
The Observatory said government forces
are backed by members of Lebanon’s
Hezbollah group, which openly started taking part in Syria’s war last year against opposition forces. The villages were the latest targets of a government offensive in the rugged
Qalamoun border region after troops captured the town of Yabroud earlier this month.
Tens of thousands of Syrians fled into
Lebanon since the Qalamoun offensive
began in November. Flita, which is about 5
miles from the border with Lebanon, had
been a major crossing point for rebels coming from across the border into Syria to fight
President Bashar Assad’s forces. Syria’s mostly
Sunni rebels draw supply, recruits and support from Sunni communities in Lebanon.
Qalamoun holds strategic value for the
government since it is crossed by the main

north-south highway that links the capital to
government strongholds along the
Mediterranean coast. The TV said the villages
fell after government forces “wiped out the
last remnants of armed terrorist groups and
destroyed its weapons and tools they used in
their crimes.” The Syrian government refers to
rebels as “terrorists.” An activist based near
Damascus who goes by the name of Abu
Yazan al-Shami who is in touch with colleagues near Yabroud confirmed that government forces have captured parts of the two
villages but are still facing resistance from
rebels inside.
“Fierce and difficult battles are taking
place. It is a rugged area and both the regime
and the rebels have gathered lots of fighters
for this battle,” said al-Shami via Skype. He
added that the main battle expected to follow Flita and Ras Maara will be the rebel-held
town of Rankous in order for the government
“to completely cut supplies from Lebanon
into Qalamoun.” In the coastal province of
Latakia, the Observatory reported that government warplanes struck areas that are witnessing clashes between rebels and troops. It
said the fighting and the air raids are concentrating around the rebel-held areas of Kassab
and Nabaain. Syrian troops have been trying
for days to push back opposition fighters
who over the past week made rare territorial
gains in Assad’s ancestral heartland. — AP

SANAA: Yemeni protesters hold the Palestinian and Syrian flag and portraits of
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during a protest in front of the Palestinian
embassy, to mark Land Day, in Sanaa yesterday. — AFP

BEKAA VALLEY: A general view shows tents housing Syrian refugees in the city of Arsal in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley. — AFP

Syrians brave life outside
crammed Turkish camps
Refugees say camps like ‘prison’, prefer life outside
GAZIANTEP: Turned away three times since fleeing
the bombardment of Syria’s second city Aleppo in
January, mother of eight Faten Darwish has given up
on getting her family into a refugee camp in southeast Turkey. Instead, the 33-year old lives with her
husband and children in a dingy storage space made
of breeze blocks with thin dirty mattresses lining the
floor and just a single tap to wash from. Some of her
young children shower at communal baths, she said.
“We lost our house in the barrel bombings in a village near Aleppo. My husband got injured and now
he roams the streets like a crazy man,” said Faten,
struggling to make her miserable surroundings hospitable. The battle for Aleppo - just 50 km from the
Turkish border - ebbs and flows but the Syrian military ramped up its offensive in December, pummeling civilian areas with the barrel bombs - oil drums
packed with explosives and shrapnel that cause massive and indiscriminate destruction.
Struggle to exist
In six weeks, they killed more than 700 people,
mostly civilians, and forced tens of thousands more
from their homes. Many of them have joined the
hundreds of thousands who have fled Syria since the
civil war started three years ago. Aleppo continues to
bear the brunt of the civil war, in which about 140,000
people have died. Almost two years after rebels
grabbed half of the city, they are now on the defen-

sive, with government forces advancing on three
sides. Turkey began building its refugee camps near
the border in mid-2011, little knowing the war would
last so long and bring such vast numbers of people,
many of them women and children.
More than 220,000 Syrians are living in the Turkish
camps, but some three times that number struggle to
exist outside them. Some try and eke out an existence around southeast Turkey, the country’s poorest
region. Others have travelled as far as Istanbul, where
groups of Syrians begging on street corners or amid
roaring traffic, their passports outstretched, have
become a sadly familiar sight. The number of officially
registered Syrian refugees has hit 900,000 and no
matter how quickly Turkey builds new camps it can
never keep up with demand.
It now has 22 camps in 10 provinces. Each time
Faten tried to seek a place she was turned away.
Some of her muddy-cheeked children now go out to
sell biscuits to supplement the tiny income they get
from charities. Most of that income goes towards the
150 lira ($67) monthly rent for the room, a sum contested by her landlord, 62-year-old Mehmet Gulsere.
Leaning back on an old motorcycle outside, he said
he just wanted to help and charges 75-100 lira a
month. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency
Management Directorate (AFAD) said some spaces
were still available in the camps, adding: “New camps
will be built if deemed necessary.”

Young Lebanese say ‘battle to stay is lost’
BEIRUT: In both war and peace, Lebanon has
always seen many of its ambitious youth leave
for better opportunities. More Lebanese live outside Lebanon than in it. But neighboring Syria’s
civil war, bombs in Lebanon and an economic
slowdown have eroded confidence in the country’s future and now even loyal patriots are
scrambling to get out. Olga Hawwa, a 29-yearold working in advertising, says she has given
up. Graduating in 2008, she has seen her peers

leave Lebanon one by one. “But I didn’t want to
leave because I tried to make it here,” she said,
sitting at a cafe in Beirut’s Hamra shopping district near her office. “I love Beirut. I love staying
here; my family is here, my neighborhood, my
friends. I think it’s a beautiful country and has a
lot of potential.” Hawwa graduated at the right
time, a lull in Lebanon’s rollercoaster ride of conflict and quasi-peace.
From 2007 to 2010, the economy averaged

BEIRUT: Fighters from the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement carry the coffin of
Ali Qaddur, a comrade killed in Syria, during his funeral in the capital Beirut yesterday. — AFP

yearly growth of 8 percent as the country saw
relative stability. She progressed in her career
and became an senior account manager for an
advertising firm. Then came the war in neighboring Syria. A million Syrian refugees have
entered the country of only four million and
rebels have moved into border regions to take
refuge from forces loyal to Syrian President
Bashar Al-Assad. Several graduates and young
professionals told Reuters they were planning to
leave because of the fallout from the war and
that their circles of friends were shrinking by the
month as their acquaintances abandoned
Lebanon.
The country’s own 1975-1990 civil war
helped drive emigration that has left about two
thirds of Lebanese living outside the country.
“Historically, Lebanon has not been able to
absorb the number of graduates and professionals. More so because of the circumstances in
Lebanon, even after the civil war ... people kept
leaving,” said Paul Tabar, Director of the Institute
for Migration Studies at the Lebanese American
University. “The young fresh graduates who
have family connections would love to stay. This
kind of feeling dissipates when the country goes
through a crisis, like the current crisis.”
Syrian deadly war
Shi’ite Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon are
fighting to help Assad crush revolt and the conflict has spilt back over Syria’s borders.
Supporters of the Sunni Syrian rebels have

bombed Hezbollah-run districts of Lebanon and
fired rockets into towns supportive of Hezbollah.
Some frontier areas of Lebanon are now seeing
open warfare between Hezbollah and rebel supporters. In a campaign to end the bombings,
Lebanese posted pictures of themselves holding
notes condemning the violence.
“I don’t want to survive, I want to live,” one
says. “Lebanon’s main export should NOT be its
people,” says another. A third shows an airport
lounge with a caption: “Our living room.” Hawwa
stayed longer than many friends but has now
had enough. “I feel I’ve reached a dead end with
Lebanon. It’s not safe, we can’t walk around, you
can’t leave Beirut and enjoy life,” she sighed. “You
can’t go out at night and not worry that an
explosion is going to happen ... or a war is going
to break out.”
And at work she sees a deterioration. “Our
clients used to have money for advertising campaigns, for launching events. Now they have a
very tight budget, if any.” “It’s become very frustrating because we end up doing the very, very
basic PR work; press releases or interviews. Very
boring stuff. There are amazing ideas that we
would love to do here, but there is no money to
do it. I’m not developing.” Hawwa left her job this
month. She is heading for New York to look for
opportunities there and then maybe to Dubai.
She has a network; a cousin in New York, and
other relatives in Boston, Switzerland, Canada,
Brazil, Dubai and Saudi Arabia - Lebanese who
went before her. — Reuters

But AFAD conceded the squeeze had worsened
since the Aleppo bombing increased, swelling camp
numbers by 8,000 since Jan 12. “If people come, we
put up extra temporary tents but then we try to find
them somewhere else,” said Mahmut Alagoz, director
of Nizip container camp, admitting he did not know
of any camps in the region where there was space.
The 17,000 refugees in tents and containers at the
Nizip camp, 30 minutes outside Turkey’s southern city
of Gaziantep, have access to facilities such as hospitals, supermarkets and even a cinema. Children
queue up for the simple, windowless classrooms
where bookshelves neatly display rows of brand-new
toys and books, beaming as cheerful staff usher them
in.
Like a prison
But for all the attractiveness of such facilities,
Syrian refugees in Turkey often choose the harsher
conditions outside over the restrictions imposed on
them by the camps, where they have to adhere to a
curfew and are not allowed to work. “We didn’t want
to go to the camps because we work in the field farming olives,” said a 39-year-old Turkmen Syrian who did
not want to be named and lives in a muddy makeshift
camp just outside Kilis. Zaki Haramoush, 48, whose
family is one of six living in a basic pre-fabricated
house in a field near Kilis where women cook on a fire
outside, also shunned the camp. — Reuters

Militants attack
Afghan election
office in Kabul
KABUL: Taleban militants attacked the main Afghan
election commission’s headquarters yesterday in Kabul,
firing on the compound with rocket-propelled
grenades and heavy machine guns from a house outside its perimeter wall, according to police. Dozens of
employees and other people who had been inside the
Independent Election Commission compound took
cover in the basement, and no casualties were reported.
But two warehouses were hit and set on fire, witnesses
said.
It’s the latest in a series of high-profile attacks that
come as the Islamic militant movement steps up a campaign of violence to disrupt presidential elections,
which are due to be held in a week. A spokesman for
the Independent Election Commission said security
already had been increased around the compound
because an attack had been widely expected, and all
IEC staff members were safe. He said the IEC leadership
was away from the headquarters when the assault
began.
Explosions were heard when the attack started,
according to the spokesman Noor Mohammed Noor,
but he did not know what caused them. Kabul police
chief Mohammad Zahir Zahir said three or four attackers were holed up in a neighboring house that had
been empty when they occupied it. He said the house is
about 800 meters (yards) away from the headquarters,
which is inside a walled off compound guarded by a
series of watch towers and checkpoints. — AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Thai protesters rally against
Yingluck ahead of Senate vote
Senate election could help to remove PM
BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of Thai antigovernment protesters rallied across
Bangkok yesterday in their latest bid to
topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra,
a day before a crucial vote to elect a new
Senate. Waving flags and blowing whistles,
protesters marched from Lumpini Park in
the business district of Bangkok, where
protesters retreated to earlier this month,
toward the city’s old quarter after a brief
hiatus in anti-government rallies. “The rally
has been largely peaceful and very disciplined. Protesters are now heading back
to their base in the park after a series of
symbolic
ceremonies,”
Paradorn
Pattanathabutr, a security adviser to the
prime minister said. “We expected the
crowd to be around 50,000-strong but the
number of protesters doesn’t look like it
will exceed 30,000.”
A grenade exploded as protesters
passed the Foreign Ministry offices, but no
one was hurt, police said. It was unclear
who was responsible for the attack.
Thailand has been in crisis since former
premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s
brother, was ousted in a 2006 coup. The
conflict broadly pits the Bangkok-based
middle class and royalist establishment
against the mostly poorer, rural supporters
of the Shinawatras. Yesterday’s march is
seen as a test of the anti-government
movement’s popularity as the number of
protesters has dwindled considerably in
recent weeks.
By mid-afternoon police put the crowd
at around 20,000. Around 500 protesters
from the Network of Students and People

BANGKOK: Thai anti-government protester holds protest placard during a rally at
Parliament in Bangkok yesterday. — AFP
for the Reform of Thailand, a splinter group
of the main protest group, broke into the
compound of Government House, a site
largely abandoned by officials. Over the
past five months, protesters have shut
state offices and disrupted a Feb. 2 election which was nullified by a court on
March 21, leaving Thailand in political limbo and Yingluck at the head of a caretaker
government with limited powers. Election
officials have said it will take at least three

months to organize a new election. Since
the current round of protests kicked off in
November, 23 people have been killed in
sporadic political violence.
Oppressive regime
Protesters want political and electoral
reforms before a new general election and
to rid the country of Thaksin’s influence.
“We will no longer accept this oppressive
regime. They, Thaksin and Yingluck, are no

longer welcome in Thailand,” protest leader
Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters as he
led protesters who shouted “Yingluck, get
out!”. Yingluck has dismissed calls by protesters to step down but faces several legal
challenges that could lead to her removal.
She has until tomorrow to defend herself
before the National Anti-Corruption
Commission (NACC) for dereliction of duty
over a rice-buying scheme that has run up
huge losses.
If the commission recommends her
impeachment, she could be removed from
office by the upper house Senate which
may have an anti-Thaksin majority after an
election for half its members. The vote is to
elect 77 senators for the 150-seat Senate.
The rest are appointed, and a government
attempt to make it a fully elected body
was one of the sparks that set off the latest
unrest in November.
The non-elected Senators are picked
by judges and senior officials from agencies such as the National Anti-Corruption
Commission (NACC ), members of an
establishment whom government supporters see as viscerally anti-Thaksin. “Red
shirt” supporters of Yinguck and Thaksin
are sounding more militant under hardline new leaders and say they are prepared to take to the streets of Bangkok as
moves to impeach Yingluck gather pace,
increasing the risk of a confrontation.
They plan a big rally, possibly in Bangkok,
on April 5. At the height of the current
protests more than 200,000 people took
to the streets to demand Yingluck’s resignation. — Reuters

Suharto nostalgia grows as
Indonesia prepares to vote
KEMUSUK: Painted on the back of trucks and
emblazoned across T-shirts, the smiling face of
former Indonesian dictator Suharto has become
a common sight across Java 16 years after his
downfall. “How are you bro? Still better in my
time, no?!” runs a phrase commonly printed
alongside the late army general, toppled following more than three decades in power when the
Asian financial crisis tore into Indonesia. As voters gear up for legislative elections next month
and presidential polls in July, disillusionment is
running high with the country’s chaotic democracy, notorious for money-grubbing politicians
and weak decision-making, while Suharto nostalgia grows.
Sympathizers have chosen to brush aside the
glaring bad points of his regime, known as the
“New Order” and widely regarded as one of the
most brutal and corrupt of the 20th century.
Vote-seeking politicians play up their links to
Suharto, particularly from his former political
vehicle Golkar, crowds flock to his tomb and a
memorial has been set up in his birthplace in
Kemusuk, in his heartland of main Java island. “I
like him because when violence erupted, he just
crushed it,” said Sumarah, who like many
Indonesians goes by one name, during a recent
visit to the memorial in central Java. “People
lived in peace, there were no demonstrations
like nowadays, which cost the economy a lot,”
added the 46-year-old, referring to the frequent
protests that are now part of daily life in the
nation.
Corruption, repression
Suharto became president in 1967 when he
was a young army general, shortly after putting
down an attempted coup, and on the back of a
bloody massacre of hundreds of thousands of
alleged communists and sympathizers which
was encouraged by the military. His long rule
was marked by severe repression and colossal
corruption-graft watchdog Transparency
International ranks him as the most corrupt
leader in history, estimating he embezzled
between $15 and $35 billion during his rule. But
a growing number look longingly at the Suharto
era, praising him for bringing stability after
Indonesia’s painful birth pangs that followed
Dutch colonial rule and overseeing an economic
boom.
In a bustling market in Yogyakarta, central
Java, T-shirts at a stall show a picture of Suharto
next to the words “Don’t you miss that longgone era of food self-sufficiency and guaranteed
security?” Such sentiments tap into discontent
with surging inflation and among many young
people struggling to find a job each year in the
country of around 250 million people led by
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. On
weekends up to 2,000 people flock to the tomb
of Suharto and his wife outside the Javanese city
of Solo, which is set in manicured hills and
packed with hawkers selling T-shirts and framed
pictures of the couple.
As well as the memorial in Kemusuk, where

his speeches are played on loudspeakers and a
small museum displays photos from his life,
there is talk of turning his house in the capital
Jakarta into a museum. He spent the final years
of his life there until his death in 2008 at the age
of 86. Politicians, particularly from Golkar, which
was used by Suharto to give his iron-fisted rule a
semblance of democracy but which is now a fully-fledged party, believe they have a lot to gain
from the nostalgia.
“This will certainly benefit Golkar,” Aburizal
Bakrie, the party’s presidential candidate, told
the Jakarta Post newspaper in a recent interview. “The elite can say any type of negative
things about the New Order, but (common) people wish to go back to that system.”
The party, which is the second-biggest in
parliament and in the ruling coalition, is also
fielding one of Suharto’s daughters, Siti Hediati,
as a parliamentary candidate at the April 9 polls.
“The daughter of Yogyakarta, the daughter of
(Suharto) - honest and to be trusted,” runs the
slogan next to a smiling Hediati on campaign
billboards, with a picture of her father in the
background. “It was hoped the reform era would
bring better conditions but that didn’t really
happen,” Hediati said, adding increased interest
in Suharto was “genuinely from the people” and
not instigated by the family.
‘Orchestrated’ nostalgia
However some believe the upsurge in nostalgia has been carefully orchestrated by those
who want to see members of the Suharto clan
return to power. Observers say the trend is due
in part to the authorities’ failure to punish members of the old regime or establish a national
process to come to terms with the past. AntiSuharto activist Fadjroel Rachman said
Indonesia should emulate countries such as
Argentina with its truth commission to investigate crimes committed during a dictatorship or
Cambodia and its UN-backed tribunal trying
leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime. He is
among many who are horrified at the growing
support for a dictator who relied heavily on the
army to crush dissent and made hundreds of
political prisoners.
Agung Kurniawan, a Yogyakarta-based artist
whose works were inspired by the brutality of
Suharto’s regime, said he would fight any
attempt by members of the dictator’s clan to
return to power. “We will fight again, we will go
back to the streets,” he said, referring to the huge
protest movement that preceded Suharto’s 1998
resignation. Despite the nostalgia, Golkar and
others trying to capitalize on it look set to be disappointed at the upcoming polls. The main
opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle is expected to dominate both elections,
particularly after the recent nomination of popular Jakarta governor Joko Widodo as its presidential candidate. He has no links to the “New
Order” and analysts say his popularity signals
Indonesians are keen to move forward beyond
the Suharto era, not back. — AFP

SITTWE: A Myanmar policeman sits at a kerb while his colleagues provide security at a
road in Sittwe, Rakhine state in western Myanmar yesterday. — AFP

‘Rohingya’ term banned
from Myanmar’s census
SITTWE: Myanmar said yesterday that
Muslims would not be allowed to register as
“Rohingya” in its first census in three
decades despite UN assurances, on the eve
of a survey that has fanned sectarian tensions. The move came as Buddhists in an
unrest-hit western state vowed to boycott
the census over fears it could lead to official
recognition for the Rohingya, viewed by the
United Nations as among the world’s most
persecuted minorities. “If a household wants
to identify themselves as ‘Rohingya’, we will
not register it,” government spokesman Ye
Htut told reporters in Yangon. He said people could call themselves “Bengali”, a term
used by the authorities who view most
Rohingya as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.
Foreign aid workers fled the restive western state of Rakhine this week after Buddhist
mobs attacked their offices as tensions escalated in the run up to the census. An 11year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet after
police fired warning shots to disperse angry
crowds in the state capital Sittwe.
Humanitarian workers in the region have
come under increasing pressure from
Buddhist nationalists who accuse them of
bias in favor of local Muslims. The United
Nations is pulling some 50 international and
Myanmar staff from the region, while other
major humanitarian groups are also removing their workers temporarily. Households
across Sittwe were seen Saturday bearing

signs declaring: “This house is protesting
against the census. Do not register”.
Myanmar’s first census since 1983, which
is set to begin today and last for 12 days, is
backed by the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) and is aimed at plugging an
information deficit in the former junta-run
country. The population tally has come
under fire for its inclusion of ethnic and religious questions, which critics say will further
fan the flames of unrest and threaten fragile
peace talks with minority rebel groups.
Buddhist nationalists have reacted with fury
to the fact that the questionnaire includes a
section for people to self-identify their ethnicity, theoretically allowing the Rohingya to
be registered as such and raising fears it
could lead to political rights for the group.
But government officials in the state
have sought to assure them that the term
will not be counted, according to local MP
Aung Mya Kyaw. “They will only write down
‘Bengali’ because Rohingya doesn’t exist,” he
said. Long-standing animosity between
Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine erupted
into bloodshed in 2012, leaving dozens
dead in clashes and around 140,000 people
displaced. Muslims in remote parts of
Rakhine have reported that the authorities
have threatened local people with harsh
penalties if they try to identify as Rohingya.
The Rohingya are subject to a web of
restrictions on travel, work and even marriage. — AFP

News

in brief

Girl talks to pope,
then father freed
LOS ANGELES: After a 10-year-old California girl
traveled to the Vatican to plead with Pope Francis
for help as her father faced deportation, the man
was released yesterday on bond from immigration detention. Mario Vargas was freed from a
detention facility in Louisiana after he posted
$5,000 bond. A relative who saw the girl on television pleading with the pope during a public audience helped with the funding, said his wife, Lola
Vargas. “When she left, her wish was that her
father would be home,” she told The Associated
Press in Spanish. “Thank God she is going to get
her wish.” Mario Vargas’ release came after his
daughter Jersey, of Panorama City, Calif,
addressed the pope this week as part of a
California delegation that traveled to urge the
Vatican to prod President Barack Obama on immigration reform. The girl and a teenager went as
part of the 16-member group to represent the
American children of immigrant parents who are
afraid their families will be divided by deportation. The president and the pontiff met for the
first time Thursday. “I feel very happy and proud
because I’m finally going to have my dad back
and we’re going to be reunited,” Jersey told the
AP late Friday before boarding a flight from Rome
to Los Angeles. She said her father was also heading to Los Angeles, and that she hoped he would
get there before her arrival.
Nurse charged over
UK poisoning deaths
LONDON: A male nurse has been charged with
the murder of three patients who were poisoned
with contaminated medical products at a British
hospital, police said yesterday. Eight patients died
following the poisoning at Stepping Hill hospital
in Stockport, near Manchester in northwest
England, in June and July 2011. Victorino Chua, a
48-year-old father of two children, has been
charged with murdering three of them-Tracey
Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71, and Derek
Weaver, 83. He has also been charged with one
count of causing grievous bodily harm with
intent, 22 counts of attempting to cause grievous
bodily harm with intent and eight offences of
attempting to administer poison. Assistant Chief
Constable Steve Heywood of Greater Manchester
Police said: “Our thoughts continue to be with
those people who were deliberately poisoned
and their families. “From day one we made a commitment to those people, as well as the wider
community, to thoroughly and robustly investigate what occurred. “In close to three years we
have conducted many painstaking inquiries and
engaged with numerous medical experts. We are
now at a point where we have charged Victorino
Chua with a number of very serious offences.”
Over a million flee
S Sudan violence
JUBA: Over a million people in South Sudan have
been forced from their homes during more than
three months of ongoing fighting, with conditions continuing to worsen, the UN has warned.
“In the 100 days since the start of the conflict in
South Sudan, over one million people have fled
their homes,” the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said
in a report yesterday. Over 800,000 are displaced
inside South Sudan, while almost 255,000 have
fled as refugees to neighboring countries of
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, the UN says.
Violence erupted in South Sudan on December
15 between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir
and fighters loosely allied to former vice president Riek Machar. A ceasefire between government and rebels inked in January is in tatters with
fighting ongoing. “Fighting between government
and opposition forces has continued, especially in
Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile state, where towns
and rural areas have been ravaged by the violence,” the OCHA report added. The conflict has
caused a “serious deterioration in the food security situation” with some 3.7 million people at high
risk, it read. Peace talks in the Ethiopia capital
have made little if any progress, with the two
sides spending time squabbling in luxury hotels
over who can attend negotiations.

Breakaway rebel leader vows
to fight after Philippines pact
MAGUINDANAO: A day after his former comrades in arms signed a treaty to end 42 years of
bloodshed in the Philippines, an ageing Muslim
guerrilla leader packing a rusty handgun vowed
to fight on. “We want independence... through
armed struggle,” Abu Missry Mama, spokesman
and senior leader of the breakaway Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), told AFP on a
visit to his rural stronghold in the south. Mama’s
former comrades in the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) signed a peace treaty Thursday that
is expected to see them gain power under a selfrule setup in the Catholic nation’s Muslim-populated southern areas. Mama, 62, is the public
face of the BIFF, which split from the 10,000member MILF in 2008 amid a row on how best
to advance the interests of the 10 million Filipino
Muslims.
The Muslim rebellion that began in 1972 left
tens of thousands of people dead and consigned the area of the proposed autonomous
region to brutal poverty and lawlessness.
Wearing rubber flip-flops, horn-rimmed glasses
and a colorful scarf atop a bronzed and craggy
face, Mama casually rode a motorcycle Friday

through dirt roads bisecting green rice paddies.
A rusty .45-calibre pistol was stuck in his holster
as he led visitors to an empty schoolyard, about
three-and-a-half hours’ drive from a major southern city. Fifteen similarly dressed guerrillas, carrying assault rifles, emerged from nowhere to
stand guard as he spoke to AFP for half an hour.
Nearby, a group of young men played basketball and residents sat by their windows or in
front of their wood and straw huts in the late
afternoon. “The MILF have their own way and we
have mine too,” said Mama, who spoke fluent
English and Filipino, the country’s official language. He said he fought for the MILF and was
now the number-three leader of the BIFF under
its founder Ameril Umrakato, who the military
said has been incapacitated by illness. The BIFF
founder was accused of leading his men in
attacks across the south in 2008 that left more
than 400 people dead and displaced hundreds
of thousands of civilians.
The farming region, more than a thousand
kilometers south of Manila, is dotted by small
military camps and checkpoints. Small military
units and motorists have been frequent targets

of deadly BIFF attacks as the group sought to
disrupt the peace process, somehow withstanding repeated government assaults against it. As
he presided over the peace treaty signing in
Manila on Thursday, President Benigno Aquino
vowed that armed opponents of the pact “will
be met with a firm response based on righteousness and justice”.
After more than 50 of its members were killed
in a major military operation in late January, the
BIFF has about 460 guerrillas left, military
spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ramon Zagala
said. “We have diminished their threat but we
are still monitoring them because of the possibility that they will continue to spurn the peace,”
Zagala said, adding they were now led by a man
named Mohiden Animbang, alias “Karialan”.
Zagala said Mama was apparently an alias and
the man was considered by the military as a BIFF
spokesman. Mama said the BIFF would only consider peace talks if the government would allow
the creation of a separate Muslim nation, something Aquino has ruled out. “There would be no
condition in the talks. They just have to leave our
homeland,” Mama said. — AFP

NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

Philippines supply ship evades China...
Continued from Page 1
The vessels appeared to get within a few hundred
metres of each other, with one of the Chinese vessels
sailing across the Filipino vessel’s bow twice.
The supply vessel later managed to reach shallow
waters around the shoal, where the Chinese ships, with
much-larger displacements, could not follow without
the risk of running aground. During the confrontation,
the Chinese vessels radioed the Philippine boat and
demanded that it leave the “Chinese territory”, local television stations reported, citing their journalists on
board the Filipino boat.
The Philippines foreign affairs department
denounced the Chinese coastguard action. “We condemn the harassment by the Chinese coastguard of our
civilian vessels which are on their way to Ayungin Shoal
to resupply provisions to our personnel stationed there,”
it said in a statement, using the Filipino name for the
outcrop. “We demand that China cease taking actions
that are a threat to our security.” The statement stressed
that the Philippines had “sovereign rights and jurisdiction over” Second Thomas Shoal, insisting it was part of
the country’s continental shelf.
Calls by AFP to the Chinese embassy in Manila and its
spokesman went unreturned yesterday. But China has
repeatedly said it has sovereign rights over Second
Thomas Shoal and the Philippines was illegally “occupying” it. China claims most of the South China Sea, even

waters and islets approaching its neighbours. Second
Thomas Shoal is part of the Spratlys, a chain of islets
and reefs that sit near key shipping lanes, are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are also believed to lie
atop huge oil and gas reserves.
They are around 200 km from the western Philippine
island of Palawan and about 1,100 km from the nearest
major Chinese land mass. The Philippines grounded an
old Navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, at Second Thomas
Shoal in 1999, four years after China built structures on
nearby, Filipino-claimed Mischief Reef. Filipino troops
have kept a presence on the ship ever since. However,
until this month, China had never sought to block the
Philippines from re-supplying or rotating its soldiers
there. China successfully turned away a Philippine resupply boat on March 9, forcing the Philippine military
to airdrop supplies to the unit.
Yesterday’s mission was the next attempt to reach
the shoal. Although the military does not release figures
on the number of soldiers stationed at Second Thomas
Shoal, there are believed to be fewer than 10.
Yesterday’s confrontation occurred a day before the
Philippines was due to file its case with a United Nations
tribunal to challenge China’s territorial claim to most of
the South China Sea. The Philippines’ legal case has
infuriated China, which has said it will not participate.
China has also warned the Philippines that bilateral relations will suffer if it continues to pursue its appeal to the
United Nations. — AFP

Obama offers assurances to allies
Continued from Page 1
Those personal assurances from the president were
welcomed by a continent that has developed something of an inferiority complex while watching Obama
curry favor with Asia and get consumed by Mideast
crises. Though Obama remains popular with the
European public, he has also irked some leaders with
what they’ve seen as slights to the European Union, the
often unwieldy 28-nation bloc.
A particular sticking point for Europe was the fact
that Obama had never visited Brussels, the headquarters city of both the EU and NATO. Obama finally
checked that box on this latest trip, using his stop in the
Belgian city to deliver a speech urging Europe to take a
leadership role in protecting Ukraine’s sovereignty
against Russian provocations. “The policies of your government, the principles of your European Union, will
make a critical difference in whether or not the international order that so many generations before you have
strived to create continues to move forward, or whether
it retreats,” he said, standing before a crowd of young
people at the Palais des Beaux-Arts museum.
After stopping in Rome for a highly anticipated
meeting with Pope Francis, Obama headed to Saudi
Arabia for a visit with the kingdom’s monarch. Despite
the decades-long alliance between the US and the oilrich Gulf nation, Saudi’s royal family has grown skeptical
of the president’s positioning in the region during a
period of rapid and unpredictable change in the Arab
world.
Tensions with Saudi Arabia hit a high point last fall,
when Obama pulled back plans to launch a military
strike on Syria. That decision compounded Saudi frustration with what it sees as the White House’s tepid
response to the more than three-year civil war that has
ravaged Syria. Obama’s personal visit to the king’s
desert compound was seen as a show of respect for the
monarch’s concerns over Syria, as well as US nuclear
talks with Iran. Senior US officials said the president and
king had a frank discussion about their differences and
emphasized the importance of Obama being able to
make his case in person.
Though there were no new agreements struck
between the president and king, officials said the meeting may help their countries bridge their differences
over Syria in particular. One potential breakthrough
area could be over the Saudi’s request for US approval
to send air defense systems to Saudi rebels, a step
Obama is said to be considering, despite continued
reservations.
Obama also met a campaigner for the rights of
women in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom

before leaving yesterday morning. But despite appeals
from US lawmakers, he did not raise any rights issues in
his talks with King Abdullah late on Friday. The official
insisted that did not mean Obama did not share “significant concerns”, merely that the conflict in Syria and
Riyadh’s concerns about Washington’s diplomatic
engagement with Tehran had left no time to discuss
them.
“We do have a lot of significant concerns about the
human rights situation that have been ongoing with
respect to women’s rights, with respect to religious freedom, with respect to free and open dialogue,” the official said. But “given the extent of time that they spent
on Iran and Syria, they didn’t get to a number of issues
and it wasn’t just human rights.”
Rights Criticism
But Obama’s focus on smoothing over the strains in
the alliance to the exclusion of concerns over women’s
rights and religious freedoms drew criticism from international watchdogs and from activists inside the kingdom. “President Obama’s visit offered a crucial opportunity to raise a series of human rights issues from discrimination against women to the repression of independent human rights activists and freedom of expression and assembly,” said Amnesty International’s Saudi
researcher Sevag Kechichian. “His failure to publicly
voice his concerns over the dire state of human rights in
Saudi Arabia is disappointing and a real missed opportunity,” Kechichian told AFP.
Obama’s meeting with Maha Al-Muneef, who was
honoured by the US State Department earlier this
month for her bravery in campaigning against domestic
violence and child abuse, came as activists called for a
new day of defiance of the kingdom’s unique and
deeply controversial ban on women driving. A small
number of women responded to the call, the latest in a
campaign of defiance launched last October. “I drove
my car for a while on Olaya Road in Riyadh,” activist
Aziza Yousef told AFP, adding that she was one of several women who got behind the wheel across the country.
Dozens of US lawmakers had called on Obama to
publicly address Saudi Arabia’s “systematic human
rights violations”, including the rights of women. Saudi
activist Nasima Al-Sada expressed “disappointment”
that Obama had met only Muneef and not a wider delegation of women activists. “We were hoping he would
meet a delegation of female civil society activists to
explain the situation of women and human rights in a
better way,” she told AFP. She said the meeting with
Muneef did “not send a real message of support for the
rights of women” in Saudi Arabia. — Agencies

A man holding a Palestinian flag and a woman carrying an olive tree walk through rows of greenhouses on
‘Land Day’ during which people plant olive trees yesterday near the Israeli border in Jabalia in the northern
Gaza Strip. The Land Day’s annual demonstrations mark the deaths of six Arab Israeli protesters at the hands
of Israeli police and troops during mass protests in 1976 against plans to confiscate Arab land in the northern Galilee region. — AFP

Lights go off for global Earth Hour
Continued from Page 1
Earth Hour chief executive Andy Ridley said before the
lights went off in Singapore that the event had moved
beyond symbolism to concrete action. “If you want to get
real social change you need to have symbolism,” he told AFP.
“We are seeing some really big outcomes.”
But it has drawn criticism, including from Danish political
scientist Bjorn Lomborg who argues it does little for the real
problem of global warming and diverts resources from other problems. “This celebration of darkness sends the wrong
message, Lomborg said in a statement this week. “While
more than a billion people across the globe make a symbol
of foregoing non-essential electrical power for one hour a
year, another 1.3 billion people across the developing world
will continue to live without electricity as they do every other night of the year.”
Projects under the “Earth Hour Blue” crowdfunding

scheme - which aim to raise more than $650,000 in total include a turtle centre in Italy and funding for forest rangers
in Indonesia. Other projects include a $24,000 effort in the
Philippines to bring fibreglass boat technology to coastal
communities affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan in
November last year.
In Nepal, $100,000 is being sought for a program called
“A Flame Called Hope” to provide access to biogas energy
for 150 households in the Terai region, reducing the need for
wood as fuel and helping protect the habitat of endangered
wildlife, according to the Earth Hour website. “Spider-Man 2”
star Garfield told journalists that he was a personal supporter of the Nepal project. “What they are doing is turning
waste into energy, it’s like the cycle of life right there, if only
everyone knew how simple it was,” he said. Earth Hour saw
other landmarks including the Empire State Building in New
York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow
switch off their lights for an hour. — AFP

Earthquake rattles jittery Los Angeles
Continued from Page 1
Hannah Hirzel, 17, who lives four miles from the epicenter, said: “I was home alone and I ran out of the
house... I was sitting where my bookshelf fell, but I ran
too quick.”
The quake, which lasted up to half a minute, was preceded and followed by a number of smaller ones. The LA
County Fire Department received reports of gas leaks
and scattered damage, said spokesman Ed Pickett, while
police in Fullerton, about fives miles from La Habra,
reported several water main breaks, spokesman Jeff
Stuart told KCAL 9 television. A rock slide took place in
Carbon Canyon, about six miles from La Habra. Video
showed a white car flipped over on its roof, apparently by
the rock fall. The driver escaped with no major injuries,
according to CBS 2 television.
At Dodger Stadium, the quake briefly interrupted the
baseball game between the LA Dodgers and the Angels.
A power outage attributed to the quake cut electricity

supplies to nearly 2,000 customers in the La Mirada area,
near La Habra, said a spokeswoman for the Southern
California Edison utility company.
California has long braced for the “Big One”. The western US state is on the so-called Ring of Fire, which circles
the Pacific and has produced a number of devastating
quakes including Japan’s March 2011 quake-tsunami,
which killed thousands of people. Seismologists say a
quake capable of causing widespread destruction is 99
percent certain to hit California in the next 30 years. A
6.7-magnitude earthquake in 1994 in Northridge, northwest of LA, left at least 60 people dead and caused an
estimated $10 billion damage, while a 6.9 quake in San
Francisco in 1989 claimed the lives of 67 people.
USGS seismologist Robert Graves said southern
California has had a relative “drought” of earthquakes
over the last two decades, which might be ending. “We
might be getting back to the more normal rate before
the Northridge earthquake happened,” he said. “It means
it was quiet, but it’s not quiet now.” — AFP

he search for flight MH370, the Malaysian jetliner that vanished over the South China Sea on
March 8, has involved more than two dozen
countries and 60 aircraft and ships but been bedevilled by regional rivalries. While Malaysia has been
accused of a muddled response and poor communications, China has showcased its growing military
clout and reach, while some involved in the operation
say other countries have dragged their feet on disclosing details that might give away sensitive defence
data.
That has highlighted growing tensions in a region
where the rise of China is fuelling an arms race, and
where several countries including China, Malaysia,
Indonesia and the Philippines are engaged in territorial disputes, with the control of shipping lanes, fishing and potential hydrocarbon reserves at stake. The
Malaysian Airline jet, which disappeared en route
from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was last officially
detected hundreds of miles off course on the wrong
side of the Malaysian peninsula.
As mystery deepened over the fate of the Boeing
777 and its 239 passengers and crew, most of them
Chinese, it became clear that highly classified military
technology might hold the key. A reluctance to share
sensitive data appeared to harden as the search area
widened. “This is turning into a spy novel,” said an
envoy from a Southeast Asian country, noting it was
turning attention to areas and techniques few countries liked to publicly discuss.
With the United States playing a relatively muted
role in the sort of exercise that until recently it would
have dominated, experts and officials say there was
no real central coordination until the search for the
plane was confined to the southern Indian Ocean,
when Australia largely took charge. Part of the problem is that Asia has no NATO-style regional defence
structure, though several countries have formal
alliances with the United States. Commonwealth
members Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and
Australia also have an arrangement with Britain to discuss defence matters in times of crisis.
“There is ... a pressing need for regional security
structures to take a few leaps forward,” said Air Vice
Marshal Michael Harwood, a retired Royal Air Force
pilot and former British defence attache in
Washington. The risk, he said, was that the search
instead became seen as a national “test of manhood”
and driver of rivalry. Already, several governments
have been openly competing in announcing findings
and satellite images.
Radar Poker
Malaysia’s
acting
transpor t
minister
Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also the country’s
defence minister, has defended the international
effort to find the jet. “All countries involved are displaying unprecedented levels of cooperation, and
that has not changed,” he said. But while Kuala
Lumpur has been forced to reveal some of the limits
and ranges of its air defences, the reluctance of
Malaysia’s neighbours to release sensitive radar data
may have obstructed the investigation for days. At an
ambassadorial meeting in the ad hoc crisis centre at
an airport hotel on March 16, Malaysia formally
appealed to countries on the jet’s possible path for
help, but in part met with polite stonewalling, two
people close to the talks said.
Some countries asked Malaysia to put its request in
writing, triggering a flurry of diplomatic notes and
high-level contacts. “It became a game of poker in
which Malaysia handed out the cards at the table but
couldn’t force others to show their hand,” a person
from another country involved in the talks said. It was
not until a week later that Malaysia announced a list
of nations that had checked their archives.
Beijing, meanwhile, was dramatically upping its
game. Its ability to deploy forces deep into the southern hemisphere is particularly striking. Beijing has
sent several deployments into southern waters in
recent months, including warship visits to New
Zealand and South America, while its icebreaker
“Snow Dragon” helped rescue personnel from a
trapped Russian icebreaker in the Antarctic late last
year. “China are deploying because that’s what great
powers do, and there must be a political expectation
for them to (do so),” said one former Western military
officer. “How well they do it, only the USA will currently know (through surveillance and signals intelligence), and time will tell.” —Reuters

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City on edge key to Ukraine future
By Alastair Macdonald

L

enin looks out on Donetsk, unmoved,
anthracite grey and steely eyed. But a
century after his revolution, this
Ukrainian industrial city of Porsches and
poverty seethes around him. It is torn
between its Soviet past, a corrupt and
unhappy present and a future somewhere
between Russia and the West. Below his
plinth on Lenin Square, protesters bemoan
the fall of a local boy made good, president
Viktor Yanukovich. Some hope Russia may
do for the Donbass coalfield what it did in
Crimea - claim Russian-speaking borderlands for Moscow, bringing higher pensions, wages and a return to a Soviet comfort zone.
But the Bolshevik leader stands today in
the shadow cast by a new glass tower
where Ukraine’s richest man, miner’s son
Rinat Akhmetov, runs a $12-billion business
empire and ponders his next move following the overthrow of former ally Yanukovich
as leader of a country ranked as the most
corrupt in Europe. Lenin’s chiselled words
praise the region’s role in “building socialism”. But along the city’s main artery, sports
cars roar past luxury stores, and the occasional beggar, along the route from an ageing steelworks to the space-age stadium
that houses the multinational squad of
Akhmetov’s soccer team, FC Shakhtar.
Many locals, in a region where monthly
pay averages less than $400, curse him and
his ilk as parasites and crooks. Yet he is
“more popular than we can imagine”, one
Western diplomat said. German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called
Akhmetov a man “whose word counts
round here” and left their meeting last week
saying the businessman would help stifle
separatism and support liberal reforms.
After 23 years of independence, the
paradoxes and interplay of money and politics in Ukraine, of corruption and democracy, of ties to Russia and the West, of a
national history marked by regional and linguistic rivalries, are nowhere more evident
than in this city of a million and its region,
home to one Ukrainian in 10 and producing
a fifth of the country’s industrial output.
How Donetsk and the wider Don basin
respond to the collapse of Yanukovich’s
hold on national power and his flight to
Russia from pro-Western protesters in distant Kiev will help determine whether the
Ukrainian state holds together and whether
it may finally offer most of its people prosperity and the rule of law.
An election on May 25 to replace
Yanukovich - all candidates should be
known next week - may confirm Ukraine on
the course set by its interim government, of
ties to the European Union and IMF-prescribed market reforms, after the ousted
leader triggered his downfall by shunning
an EU deal in favour of Russian aid. Founded
by a 19th-century Welsh engineer called
Hughes who called it Yuzovka after himself,
renamed Stalino as it drove the industrialisation of the Soviet Union, today’s Donetsk
can shape the next stage of Ukraine’s slow
emergence from totalitarian rule in the
fraught space between Russia and the
European Union.
Paradox and Contrast
Stand on Lenin Square, though, among
the Russian tricolours and Soviet red flags,
and the utter confusion of emotions
unleashed by last month’s bloody events in
the capital is clear. Denouncing wage cuts
and the power of oligarchs who made fortunes in the murky years after the Soviet
collapse in 1991, a permanent protest picket calls for the return of the ousted president. Yet Yanukovich’s 2010 election campaign was funded by Akhmetov and the
president oversaw four years of stagnation
as his own family became, by repute,

among the country’s richest. “He’s not the
worst of them,” said pensioner Valentina
Petrovna in justifying her support for the
fallen leader during a rally by 3,000 people
on Lenin Square last weekend.
Voicing indignation that the opulence of
Yanukovich’s home had been exposed to
public scorn, she said the same treatment
should be accorded other politicians notably arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko and
other enormously wealthy presidential contenders. “You have to have money to run for
president,” she shrugged when asked if she
might prefer a leader not from the superrich.
Alexander Bukalov, a civil rights activist,
said many in eastern Ukraine had got used
to following strong leaders: “The oligarchs
are powerful because it doesn’t offend people,” he said. “Yanukovich has left a void.
Who will protect them now?” At the same
time, he said, anger on the streets reflected
a mix of frustrations among different
groups of people all boiling over at once with living standards, with seemingly deadlocked politics in Kiev and with two
decades of post-Soviet corruption.
Support for Yanukovich, who four years

juggled a pro-Yanukovich banner, a cup of
McDonald’s coffee and her “Donbass
Communist” newspaper. “People in Kiev just
want our money and don’t want to work.” A
poll showed over half of easterners viewed
the government in Kiev as illegitimate, compared to 10 percent in the west.
Separatism Stalls
A month ago, separatists briefly took
over the Donetsk governor’s office, raising
the Russian flag. The regional assembly voted to hold a Crimea-style referendum on
autonomy. A Ukrainian nationalist was
stabbed to death two weeks ago in a clash
with anti-Kiev protesters on Lenin Square.
But since then, despite Western warnings of
Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s eastern
borders, tension has eased. Moscow denies
having ambitions to take territory beyond
Crimea. Serhiy Taruta, the steel magnate
named regional governor, has swept suspected separatist sympathisers from key
posts in the police and other services and
tightened frontier controls to keep out
“political tourists” - Moscow agents.
Assurances from the Western-backed
Kiev government of rights to use Russian in

A Pro-Russian protester holds a placard reading “Donetsk region Russia”
during a rally in front of the regional state administration building in the
eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on March 23, 2014. —AFP
ago swept the heavily populated east to
defeat Tymoshenko for the presidency, is
now a minority view, even in Donetsk,
where he rose from delinquent youth to
governor. A poll early this month showed
two thirds of people in eastern Ukraine
approved of his removal. But if his downfall
is little mourned, the aftermath of his overthrow at the hands of a protest movement
spearheaded by club-wielding ultranationalists who battled with riot police has
thrown divisions between Ukraine’s east
and west into relief.
“We were all against Yanukovich,” said
Albert, a former policeman in Donetsk who
now runs a small tourism business. “He was
our plague. But the fascists and those people in the west have exploited the situation
and now they’re coming for us.” That fear,
reinforced by coverage on widely watched
Russian state television, helped drive
Crimeans to embrace annexation by
President Vladimir Putin and calls in the east
to seek Moscow’s protection from moves
against the Russian language and toward
free trade with the EU that could hurt eastern industry.
“The Americans paid the fascists,” said a
woman in a pink Italian puffer jacket as she

official contacts may ease concerns of people in the east, for most of whom Russia is
the first language, even among the region’s
57-percent ethnic Ukrainian majority. Some
activists in western Ukraine, where historic
Austrian rather than Russian rule fostered a
national identity around the Ukrainian language, have wanted to bind the new state
together by suppressing Russian in favour of
their related Slavic tongue.
As important, however, in keeping the
east loyal to Kiev may be promises of decentralisation, giving people - and their oligarch
leaders - more control of local resources, as
well as possibly security and judicial
processes. Unlike in Crimea, where enthusiasm for Russian citizenship was widespread,
few people in Donetsk express a strong
desire to be ruled by Moscow. Instead they
want more say over local affairs, especially
now the Donetsk clan round Yanukovich no
longer holds sway in Kiev. “We don’t want to
be like Crimea. But we want a lot of autonomy,” said Denis Alexandrovich, 37, a Russian
language teacher standing under Lenin’s
statue. “I love Russia. I have family in Russia,”
he said. “But I want to live in Ukraine. This is
where my grandparents’ graves are.”
The regional flag of Donetsk, a sun in the

blue and yellow of Ukraine rising over a
black sea, flies over demonstrations. Since
Soviet days, the main avenue has been
named for the leader of the short-lived
Donetsk Republic of 1918. Pride in the local
work ethic is fierce; it was here Soviet propagandists found the miner Stakhanov and
made “stakhanovite” a byword for hard toil.
At the Donetsk State University of
Management, where 19-year-old Rita and
other students played down ethnic tensions
and spoke of high hopes for founding their
own businesses, unease at events in Kiev
also revolved around concerns for the economy: “We’re not like Kiev. People here work
and only protest at weekends,” said staff
member Yelena Yudina, 36.
Donetsk oligarchs harness such local particularism. Akhmetov and Taruta own the
city’s two big soccer clubs, whose names
mean Miner and Steelman respectively.
Business magnates support local philanthropic causes and trumpet investment in
the area, even if they also make headlines
abroad, as Akhmetov did in 2011 when he
paid over $200 million for the most expensive home in London.
Corruption Clean-Up?
Taruta says he has no doubt billionaires
can lead a fair and democratic society and
talks of curbing corruption to get investors
“lining up” to put money into Donetsk. At
the Donetsk Steel Works, DMZ, near the
centre of a city dotted with pit winding gear
and slag heaps, workers coming off shift as
the hooter blew agreed their main hope
was for investment - and an end to political
upheaval. An EU diplomat, advocating
Western economic aid to the east, said: “No
one is keen for annexation by Russia if the
local economic situation is all right.”
Foreign investment may please the
Donbass oligarchs but, for all that Western
powers seem ready to prop up Ukraine
against Russia, cash may come at a price of
some reform in a system that has left
Ukraine the most corrupt countr y in
Europe, on a par with Nigeria in the
Transparency International rankings.
Pledges of a clean-up from a political elite
formed by the very people who benefited
from that system may sound hollow.
Donetsk governor Taruta acknowledges
there is a record of broken promises but
said now was different.
Some analysts argue the scare over
Russian expansion and bloodshed on the
streets may galvanise the elite into backing anti-graft, open-market reforms to stabilise Ukraine. A typical oligarch “has
already made his fortune, by whatever
means, the Western diplomat said. “Now
he needs rules and a fight against corruption to keep what he has safe.” For human
rights activist Bukalov, the ordinar y
Ukrainian in the east may also be developing a “political maturity” after the initial
shock at the fall of Yanukovich’s Donetsk
“Family”.
Describing the protests against
Yanukovich on Kiev’s Maidan square as “for
values, for freedom and respect” in contrast
to counter-demonstrations in Donetsk as
“all about wages”, Bukalov said time, and
the loss of Crimea, had given easterners a
chance to consider the benefits of sharing
in a new start in Kiev. “Donetsk people are
starting to think,” he said. “Yanukovich did
more for democracy in Ukraine than anyone else. In opposing him, Ukrainians have
learned to stand up for themselves.”
But a positive scenario after the past
month’s drama, in which the east and west
of the country rally behind a new, clean
political and economic system, will not
develop overnight. On Lenin Square, a pensioner named Lyubov has heard too much
fine talk before: “The oligarchs are there in
their palaces and we work all our lives for
nothing.” —Reuters

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

S P ORTS
Kentucky tops Louisville
INDIANAPOLIS: Nobody will accuse these Kentucky kids of being the fastest learners. Not this season. And certainly not during most of Friday night’s game against Louisville. But once again, late in
the game with everything on the line, they figured things out just in time.
Aaron Harrison hit a 3-pointer for the go-ahead score with 39 seconds left and Julius Randle
made a pair of clutch free throws to lift the fantastic freshmen of Kentucky to a 74-69 victory over
their in-state rivals. The eighth-seeded Wildcats (27-10) led for a grand total of 65 seconds in this
Midwest Regional semifinal. They’ll play Michigan on Sunday for a trip to
the Final Four. “I told them before the game, you’ll get punched in the
mouth and you’re going to taste blood,” coach John Calipari said.
“You can fight or you can brace yourself for the next shot. They
fought.” Fourth-seeded and defending champion Louisville ends
its season at 31-6. Few expected a run this deep for the Wildcats
as this season played out and their five freshmen starters struggled to play a team game. But they’ve been learning slowly. They
trailed by 13 midway through the first half, then by seven with
41/2 minutes left. Suddenly, things kicked in. Actually, it was a
sophomore, Alex Poythress, who scored five points and blocked a
Russ Smith layup attempt during a 7-0 run that tied the
game at 66 with 2:11 left. “Alex Poythress won the
game for us,” Calipari said. “We were begging him
the whole game to start playing, and he played at
the right time.”—AP

Fellaini denies spitting

Mickelson makes Open cut

LONDON: Marouane Fellaini has insisted he did not spit at Pablo
Zabaleta during this week’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Following United’s 3-0 defeat on Tuesday, footage emerged on the
YouTube website appearing to show midfielder Fellaini spitting near
Zabaleta’s head while the City defender was on the turf following a clash
between the pair. It is understood the Football Association are aware of
the clip, with the governing body now deciding whether to charge Fellaini
with misconduct. The FA are now due to request sharper footage from
match broadcasters Sky before ruling on whether Fellaini should face disciplinary action, with a decision anticipated some time early next week.
But United manager David Moyes, who signed Fellaini from former
club Everton, said he’d discussed the incident with the Belgium international and that his player was adamant he’d done nothing wrong. “I’ve
spoke with Marouane and he says it isn’t the case,” Moyes said.
“We will work with the FA if that is what we have to do. Marouane is
adamant that at no time did he do that (spit at Zabaleta). I don’t think it is
completely conclusive, from what I’ve seen,” the Scottish boss added.
Earlier this month, the FA banned Hull’s George Boyd for three
matches after he spat at Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Moments before the alleged spitting incident, Fellaini was booked by
match referee Michael Oliver on Tuesday for elbowing Argentinian fullback Zabaleta. —AFP

SAN ANTONIO: Phil Mickelson made the cut on the number in the Texas Open on Friday,
blasting out of a greenside water hazard to 5 feet to set up a birdie on the final hole.
Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 - his worst score of the season - on
TPC San Antonio’s AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch,
the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136.
Bowditch, ranked 339th in the world, holed out from 83 yards for an eagle on the par-4
12th. The 30-year-old topped the leaderboard at the end of a round for
the first time in his PGA Tour career.
“My wedge shots have been pretty good,” he said. “I was trying to hit (the one on No. 12) a little past the pin and hope it
came back to a reasonable distance. Got lucky.”
Chad Collins (66) and rookie Andrew Loupe (70) were a
stroke back. Only two of the top 15 players on the leaderboard are in the top 100 of the world rankings. Sixthplace Kevin Na is 78th in the world and ninth-place Zach
Johnson is 10th. Collins is 315th and Loupe 505th.
No. 5-ranked Mickelson was in the stream that runs in
front of the 18th green after attempting to reach the
par 5 in two from 288 yards with a 3-wood. He
pulled off his left shoe and rolled up that
pants leg and gave it a shot with his
foot in the water. —AP

Study: MMA brain injury
risk higher than boxing
ALBANY: About one-third of professional mixed martial arts matches end
in knockout or technical knockout,
indicating a higher incidence of brain
trauma than boxing or other martial
arts, according to a new study in the
American Journal of Sports Medicine.
University of Toronto researchers
examined records and videos from 844
Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts
from 2006 to 2012 for the study published this month. They found that 108
matches, or nearly 13 percent, ended
in knockouts. Another 179 matches, or
21 percent, ended in technical knockouts, usually after a combatant was hit
in the head five to 10 times in the last
10 seconds before the fight was
stopped.
“We’re taking the premise with this
that what you see on TV is one thing,
but to kind of add scientific rigor to
document it objectively,” said Michael
Hutchison, co-author and director of
the concussion program at the university ’s MacIntosh Spor ts Medicine
Clinic.
With the technical knockouts, or
TKOs, they reviewed videos and found
“an increasing number of repetitive
strikes to the head” during the last 30
seconds of a match, he said.
Professional mixed mar tial ar ts
includes elements of wrestling, judo,
boxing and kickboxing inside an
enclosure with fighters wearing small,
fingerless gloves and no headgear.
Officials from UFC, the sport’s major
brand, seeking approval to stage
bouts in New York have argued that
mixed martial arts has evolved over 20
years with many safety regulations to
protect fighters, including mandatory
suspensions after concussions. They
say it’s safer than boxing, with no histor y of deaths or traumatic brain
injuries sustained in the ring.
Lawrence Epstein, chief operating
officer of UFC, called the Toronto study
“somewhat flawed” and said a forthcoming study by researchers who
have enrolled nearly 400 active and
retired fighters will provide better
insight.
“By partnering with the Cleveland
Clinic, one of the world’s leading medical research institutions, on advanced

studies aimed at not only preventing
long-term brain injuries, but also identifying those predisposed to them, the
UFC demonstrates true commitment
to the safety of all professional athletes,” Epstein said.
Preliminar y results from the
Cleveland studies found athletes with
higher exposure to head trauma based on a formula including number
of fights, years fighting and fights per
year - were likelier to score lower on
cognitive testing. Researchers conducting the free, ongoing assessments
of fighters’ brain health are examining
factors like genetics, lifestyle or head
trauma exposure and susceptibility to
injury. The Toronto researchers, who
examined UFC matches, found the
time from a knockout blow - often a
punch to the jaw - until matches were
stopped averaged 3.5 seconds, with
losers on average getting hit 2.6 more
times to the head. With TKOs, they
found that in the last 30 seconds
before a match was stopped, the loser
was hit on average 18.5 times, 92 percent of those to the head.
Hutchison acknowledged that
unlike the knockouts, which meet the
criteria for brain concussions, they
can’t definitively identify the particular
injury from a TKO. Professional rules
say that happens when a referee stops
a fight because one competitor can no
longer defend himself. “We can accurately suggest ... this can’t be good for
their health,” he said.
Citing data from other research, the
study said the mixed martial arts head
trauma rate also outpaces American
football and hockey.
The researchers proposed introducing rules like in boxing where a fighter
gets a 10-second count and is evaluated after a knockdown. They also proposed more training to help referees
identify fighters who are defenseless
or have lost consciousness so they can
stop fights more quickly.
Most US states have legalized and
regulated professional mixed martial
arts, although some are silent on the
matter. New York is the only state that
prohibits such fights and longstanding efforts to get it legalized recently
stalled again. —AP

SAN JOSE: In this April 20, 2013, file photo, Josh Thomson (top) punches Nate
Diaz during the second round of a UFC lightweight mixed martial arts fight. —AP

Penguins clinch playoff spot
COLUMBUS: Chris Kunitz and
Beau Bennett scored goals 47 seconds apart midway through the
third period and Marc-Andre
Fleury made 35 saves as the
Pittsburgh Penguins clinched an
NHL playoff spot with a 2-1 win
over the Columbus Blue Jackets
on Friday.
James Wisniewski scored a
power-play goal for Columbus
with 3:06 left, but Pittsburgh
hung on as Fleury made huge
saves on Brandon Dubinsky and
Cam Atkinson during a scrum in
the final seconds.
Curtis McElhinney, taking the
place of the ill Sergei Bobrovsky,
stopped the first 28 Penguins
shots before Kunitz notched his
34th with 9:25 left. The Penguins
are now at 99 points, moving closer to clinching the Metropolitan
Division title.
OILERS 4, DUCKS 3
Andrew Ference scored at 3:51
of overtime and Ben Scrivens
stopped 48 shots as Edmonton
pulled off an upset over Anaheim.
Sam Gagner, Jordan Eberle
and Oscar Klefbom also scored for
the Oilers, who are in last place in
the Western Conference.
Edmonton ended a three-game
skid.
Nick Bonino, Patrick Maroon
and Mathieu Perreault scored for
the Ducks, who had a two-game
winning streak come to an end
and missed out on an opportunity to move into a tie for first in the
Pacific Division with the San Jose
Sharks.
The Ducks remain one win
short of tying their franchise
record of 48 wins in a season, set
in 2006-07 when they won the
Stanley Cup.

FLYERS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2
Vinny Lecavalier, Scott Hartnell,
Claude Giroux and Wayne
Simmonds scored goals, leading
Philadelphia over Toronto.
Toronto’s James van Riemsdyk
scored 4 seconds into the second,
matching an NHL record for
fastest goal from the start of the
period. But the Maple Leafs’ skid
reached seven games.
Lecavalier was dropped from a
spot on the wing on the second
line to his more natural center on
the fourth line. But he also had
the spot on the top power-play
unit and scored in the first with
Philadelphia holding a two-man
advantage.

10 times since the NHL’s trade
deadline on March 5 and four of
them have been winners, including his goal with 7.8 seconds left
in the second period. He also
scored the shootout winner in
Calgary’s 2-1 win at home over
the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Joe Colborne, Mark Giordano
and Kevin Westgarth also scored
for the Flames, who tied a club
record with their 45th one-goal
game of the season.
They improved their record to
22-17-8 in those one-goal
matchups. Brad Richards had a
goal and an assist for the Rangers,
whose winning streak ended at
five games.

FLAMES 4, RANGERS 3
Mike Cammalleri had a goal
and an assist to lead Calgary over
New York. Cammalleri has scored

SENATORS 5, BLACKHAWKS 3
Craig Anderson had 46 saves
and Clarke MacArthur had a
goal and two assists and

Ottawa beat Chicago. It was
Anderson’s first game back
since being injured March 10.
Erik Condra, Cody Ceci, Milan
Michalek and Kyle Turris also
scored for the Senators. Patrick
Sharp, Marian Hossa and Brent
Seabrook scored for Chicago.
Antti Raanta made 24 saves.
STARS 7, PREDATORS 3
Dallas had seven players score
goals in a victory over Nashville.
Alex Goligoski had three assists,
tying his career high. Colton
Sceviour, Trevor Daley and Ryan
Garbutt each had a goal and an
assist. After Nashville pulled within 5-3 in the third period on Eric
Nystrom’s goal, Valeri Nichushkin
and Cody Eakin scored 9 seconds
apart for a 7-3 edge. Stars goalie
Kari Lehtonen allowed three goals
on 28 shots. —AP

Serena lifts Miami crown
MIAMI: World number one Serena Williams won
the Miami WTA title for the seventh time yesterday with a 7-5, 6-1 win over China’s Li Na.
In a battle of the world’s top two players, the
US superstar took her tally of WTA titles to 59 —
including 17 Grand Slam triumphs. She added a
second trophy in 2014 to the one she lifted in
Brisbane in January. The 32-year-old Williams,
who first played at Miami as a 16-year-old, was
strangely subdued as she seemed to sleepwalk
through the first half hour of the match.
Trailing 4-2, she fought off three break points
in the seventh game only to surrender her serve

first match point.
Li, who won her second Grand Slam title at
the Australian Open in January, has now lost 10
straight matches against Williams. Her only victory in their 12 meetings was back in 2008.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Sony Open, one of
tennis’s most prestigious events, was left devastated when both men’s semi-finals ended in
walkovers on Friday sending world number one
Rafa Nadal and number two Novak Djokovic
through to the final without hitting a ball.
Three-time champion Djokovic was first gifted a spot in today’s final when Japan’s Kei

KEY BISCAYNE: Serena Williams, of the United States, hugs the trophy as she poses
for photos after defeating Li Na, of China, in the women’s final 7-5, 6-1 at the Sony
Open Tennis tournament. —AP
for a second time on a double fault.
The seriousness of her situation woke
Williams up. She won the next five games to
take the set, saving a set point in the 10th game
and hanging on to break Li in a 12th game that
went to deuce six times.
Although she delivered just three aces in a
match that lated just under two hours, Williams’
serve steadily improved as the match wore on,
as did the power and precision of her returns.
She seized a 5-1 lead in the second set with a
fierce backhand winner on her fifth break point
of the game and wrapped up the contest on her

Nishikori withdrew with a groin injury.
A few hours later the tournament was
rocked again when seventh seeded Czech
Tomas Berdych announced he was withdrawing due to gastroenteritis, handing Nadal a free
pass.
Thousands of tennis fans had arrived at the
Crandon Park complex expecting a day of pulsating action but instead were left with two
women’s doubles matches.
When it was announced prior to the start of
the night session that the Nadal/Berdych match
would not be played the stadium erupted in an

angry chorus of boos, many showing their disgust by turning and heading for the exits.
“Sorry for Kei. Sorry for Tomas. Sorry for the
tournament. Especially sorry for the fans,” said
Nadal about the double walkover. “It’s very
unlucky, very unusual for something that can
happen.
“I cannot remember that (ever happening).”
That would be because a double walkover in
the semi-finals of an ATP Tour event is unprecedented in the professional era.
The walkovers, however, left the Sony Open
with a mouth-watering final featuring the
world’s top two players, Nadal and Djokovic set
to clash for the 40th time.
Nadal leads the head-to-head 22-17 but has
never lifted the Miami title despite reaching the
final three times. “Only chance to win against
Novak is play to the limit, play my best and
hope that he is not going to have his best day,”
said Nadal. “For me, I am going on court and
trying my best. (It) doesn’t make any difference
if it’s one tournament or another one.
“For sure, Miami is a very important tournament that I never had the chance to win in the
past. “It is my fourth final. It’s positive results. To
be able to play four finals in one tournament is
because you did well, and I am going to try to
be ready for Sunday.”
Berdych said that all seemed normal following his quarter-final win over Ukraine’s Alexandr
Dolgopolov until he woke up Friday morning.
“I just woke up with a pain in my stomach,
just went for toilet and got really strong diarrhea,” said Berdych. “Since then, it starts to go
on and on. More time, diarrhea and then also
throwing up and stuff like that.
“I lost so much of the liquid and all the possible energy I could have. “Came here. Tried to do
as much as I could, see the doctors, receiving
the IV and basically not with good results.”
Nishikori had reached the last four after registering a pair of three-set upsets, defeating
Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer in fourth
round followed by a quarter-final win over
Swiss 17-times grand slam winner Roger
Federer.
The Japan number one said that the groin
had been bothering him for some time but it
flared up against Federer in a match that ran
late into an unusually cool evening in south
Florida.
Nishikori also retired during the Delray
Beach tournament in February for a similar
complaint. “I really felt the last match against
Roger, the quarter-final,” he said. “It’s really sad,
of course, semi-final in a big tournament.
“Was really playing well and beating (Grigor)
Dimitrov, David (Ferrer) and Roger (Federer). I
was really excited to play here. “But unfortunately I couldn’t move side-to-side. Just tried to
warm up today, but I couldn’t move.” The
walkover was the second of the tournament for
Djokovic, who had a free pass in the third round
when Florian Mayer pulled out with a groin
injury.
Djokovic should be well rested for today’s
final, not having played in four days and contested just three matches the entire tournament.
“It’s such a big event, and from a player’s perspective, it’s never nice to have a walkover to go
on to the finals without a fight,” said Djokovic.
“Now the only thing I can think about is finals
and focus on winning the title.” —Agencies

Asia fight back to share
EurAsia Cup with Europe
KUAL A LUMPUR: Asia rallied from a 5-0
whitewash on the opening day to share the
inaugural EurAsia Cup with Europe with a
strong per formance in yesterday ’s singles
matches at the Ryder Cup-style event in Kuala
Lumpur.
Trailing 7-3 after Friday’s foursomes, the

Thongchai Jaidee-captained Asian team won
six and halved two of the 10 singles matches to
tie the scores at 10-10 for a share of the spoils.
Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and
Hideto Tanihara of Japan were the last men
on the course and both had a chance to wrap
up the tie on the final hole but after missing

SUBANG: Miguel Angel Jimenez (left) of Spain and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee
(right) poses for the camera with the EurAsia trophy after both Team Asia and Euro
drew during the third round of the EurAsia Cup golf tournament. —AP

tricky birdie putts, their match and the teams
finished all-square.
Thai duo Thongchai and K iradech
Aphibarnrat and Indians Anirban Lahiri and
Gaganjeet Bhullar, South Korea’s Kim Hyungsung and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh all
won their singles matches for Asia. “Every part
of my team was unbelievable to come back,
fantastic,” an elated Thongchai told reporters.
“Everyone played really well. I think the match
is unbelievable, it was a good finish.
“To end on the last, and on the 18th hole,
it’s fantastic. I have never seen a match like
this. It’s very close and amazing.
“We had a good draw and good pairings, I
think that’s the key point.” Europe’s Spanish
captain Miguel Angel Jimenez and Dutchman
Joost Luiten were the only two winners for
their team.
Jimenez needed to dig deep to beat local
favourite 23-year-old Nicholas Fung with a
birdie on the 18th hole. “It’s an amazing day
of golf,” the 50-year-old said. “It’s been very
tough. At the end of the week, the European
team did not win the tournament but the
Asian team, they played very well.
“As I said in the prize giving presentation,
Asia, Europe, they both win, nobody loses.”
Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who partnered
Graeme McDowell to victory in the fourballs
and foursomes, gave up a four-hole lead over
Prayad Marksaeng and had to be satisfied
with a half point.
“I played so well at the star t,” said the
unbeaten Donaldson, whose tally of two-anda-half points in the tournament was matched
only by Jimenez.
“I flushed it for nine holes and then I don’t
know if the heat got to me a little bit, but I hit
some shocking shots and gave him a few
holes.
“It was good to get a half in the end. It was
important to hole that putt for the team and
for my match, but I made it very difficult.”
The tournament will return to Malaysia in
2016 but the course for the second running of
the event has yet to be finalised. —Reuters

Photo of the day

A competitor performs at the Farm Jam in Winton, New Zealand.
—www.redbullcontentpool.com

NBK takes customers to 2014
World Cup via Mobile Banking
Application, with Visa
KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)
offers all its customers using NBK’s
Mobile Banking Application the chance
to win a trip for two to the 2014 FIFA
World Cup. NBK is the only official nonhost retail banking partner of the 2014
FIFA World Cup in Kuwait, in association
with Visa, the official FIFA partner. In an
exclusive campaign valid until April 30th
2014, customers are encouraged to
enroll or re -enroll to NBK’s Mobile

Mazin Al Nahedh
Banking Application in order to enter a
draw to win a travel package for two to
attend one of the games of the world’s
biggest sporting extravaganza. The travel package includes two match tickets,
round trip airline tickets, hotel accommodation for four nights, and transfer
service for both winner and guest.
NBK customers will also have one
chance to enter this draw for every
transactions made through NBK’s Mobile
Banking application. The transactions
include transferring funds, Credit Card
and phone bill payments and payments
to Ministry of Communications.

“NBK is keen on delivering superior
value to its customers,” said Mazin Saad
Al Nahedh, NBK General Manager,
Consumer Banking Group. “NBK’s Mobile
Banking application adopts the-state-ofthe-art banking technologies and standards with the objective of providing
utmost convenience and ease to customers. Now, NBK customers can enjoy
both convenient banking services and
an exclusive chance to attend a 2014
FIFA World Cup(tm) match.”
“We are privileged to be the first and
only bank in Kuwait to reward our customers with this exclusive offer. FIFA
World Cup(tm) is one of the world’s most
popular sporting events. NBK and Visa
Worldwide partnered to bring the thrill
and enthusiasm of this event to Kuwait,”
added Al Nahedh.
In addition to this offer, NBK offers its
Visa Cardholders as well as customers
who transfer their salaries or student
allowances to NBK a chance to win one
of the 32 trips for two to attend the 2014
FIFA World Cup(tm) games in Brazil in
association with Visa.
NBK’s free Mobile Banking application
for Android, Apple and BlackBerr y
devices enables customers to easily and
securely manage their financials anytime, anywhere as long as they are connected to the internet. NBK customers
can download NBK Mobile Banking on
nbk.com by logging into Watani Online
or by downloading the application from
the associate stores: Apple Store and
Google Play Store and benefit from a
wide range of banking services and
products. Checking balances, transferring funds, Credit Card and phone bill
payments, ordering checkbooks,
requesting a printed account statement,
branches and ATMs locater are all provided within the application.

Walsh stands tallest among
New Zealand shot put giants
WELLINGTON: World indoors bronze medallist
Tom Walsh will snap back to reality next week
but not before he has a few days to soak up the
thrill of winning his ‘Goliath v Goliath’ shot put
battle at the New Zealand athletics championships yesterday.
The first clash in two years between Walsh
and world junior record holder Jacko Gill had created such interest in New Zealand’s athletic
championships, officials felt they were riding a
wave of interest and anticipation not witnessed
in the sport in the rugby-mad country since the
1970s.
“You probably have to look back at the era of
(John) Walker, (Dick) Quax and (Rod) Dixon to see
something like this,” Athletics New Zealand
spokesman Brett Addison told Reuters of the
interest in the duo’s clash. “It has been quite a
long time.
“There have been some good little battles in
the past but I don’t think we have had a contest
between someone who is third in the world and
someone who is a world junior record holder.”
The battle between Walsh and Gill even relegated twice Olympic champion Valerie Adams to
secondary billing, though the 29-year-old’s
pulling power was no less diminished as a queue
to get a photo and autograph after she won her
13th national shotput title stretched upwards of
80 metres.
“I’m like the warmup game, the curtain raiser,”

Adams, a four-times world champion, said with a
smile after she threw 20.46 metres to set the second best distance of the year and obliterate the
small field of six competitors.
“That’s cool. It’s great to have publicity and no
matter what event it is it’s great for people to
come out here and watch what we do. It’s hard
to make it in this sport.”
More than 5,000 people crammed into the
small Newtown Park venue nestled in the hills
underneath Wellington Zoo, with the crowd
standing five deep next to the track-side fence to
watch the clash between Walsh and Gill.
It was Walsh, however, who captured his
moment, hurling the 7.26kg metal shot out to
20.79 metres on his final throw to claim a New
Zealand all-comers record and his fifth national
title.
VIDEO REVIEW
The 22-year-old Walsh, who won bronze at
the world indoor championships in Poland earlier this month and beat double Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski into fourth, almost fell foul
of the judges on the throw when his foot
seemed to touch the stop board.
Walsh asked the officials to review video
footage and he was given the benefit of the
doubt, though his consistent series of throws,
with three over 20 metres, had already sealed the
title. —Reuters

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

S P ORTS

Spurs pound Nuggets

SEPANG: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain takes a corner during the
qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix. —AFP

Hamilton on Malaysian pole
SEPANG: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton made
it two poles in two races after emerging
unscathed from an incident-packed and
rain-hit Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying
yesterday.
The Briton saw off Red Bull’s quadruple
Formula One world champion Sebastian
Vettel by 0.055 of a second in a session
with two red flags, grid penalties, a 50
minute rain delay and more downpours
throughout that left drivers struggling for
visibility.
The pole was the 33rd of Hamilton’s
career, equalling the British record held by
the late Jim Clark since 1964, and was
secured in a time of one minute 59.431
seconds.
“I’m really happy with how well we’ve
done over the weekend, but today was
incredible, how heavy was the rain?”
Hamilton told reporters.
“It was tricky out there for everyone
because at the end it was almost impossible to see. I couldn’t see where the track
went, where the corners were, where to
break.
“I had to bail out of my final fast lap, so
it was ver y close.” Vettel’s lap was an
impressive turnaround for the German,
who retired in Melbourne two weeks ago,
after he was called back to the pits after
only three laps of the first phase of qualifying with an energy store problem.
The champion re-emerged after a reset
of the system and became progressively
competitive as the rain grew stronger and
felt he could have taken pole had he been
able to get in another lap in the final 15
minute session.
“At the beginning of Q1 (the first
phase), the heartbeat was rising very
quickly when we realised there was an
issue,” Vettel said.
“Q3 was not perfect. I would have loved
to have a second go. My first attempt, I felt
there was time to gain here and there. “It was
very close, too close. I should be on the good

side for tomorrow but it depends on how
good the start is. I’m happy with the result.”
ROSBERG STARTS THIRD
Hamilton’s Mercedes team mate Nico
Rosberg, winner in Australia, will start from
third place with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso
joining him on the second row despite an
earlier collision with Russian rookie Daniil
Kvyat’s Toro Rosso that required hurried
repairs. Alonso was on the outside and
turned into Kvyat with the incident reviewed
by stewards, who opted against any penalty.
“I didn’t see him coming, Obviously it was
a little bit of an aggressive move on the outlap with that sort of visibility,” the double
world champion Spaniard said.
Force India’s Nico Hulkenburg finished
seventh with McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen
eighth as he and his team chopped and
changed with intermediate and wet tyres
throughout as they struggled to second
guess the weather.
Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne and
McLaren’s Jenson Button rounded out the
top 10 with Williams once again struggling
despite some promising pre-season tests.
Felipe Massa will start in 13th while
Valtteri Bottas finished 15th but was demoted three places after stewards deemed the
Finn blocked Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who
qualified fifth, on a flying lap.
“He was on his out-lap. I’ll have a word
with him,” said the Australian driver, who was
disqualified after finishing second in
Melbourne because of a fuel flow issue.
Lotus’s woes continued with Romain
Grosjean complaining about his car after
qualifying 15th, while team mate Pastor
Maldonado failed to make it out of the first
phase and will start in 17th.
The first phase of qualifying ended 30 seconds early after Swede Marcus Ericsson lost
control of his Caterham, hit the wall before
flying back across the track leaving debris
and almost hitting Esteban Gutierrez’s
Sauber. —Reuters

SAITAMA: Gold medalist Mao Asada of Japan (center) silver medalist Julia
Lipnitskaia of Russia (left) and bronze medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy
(right) pose for photographers with their medals during an awarding ceremony of the women’s figure skating event of the World Figure Skating
Championships. —AP

Asada wins world crown
SAITAMA: Japan’s Mao Asada won her
third women’s world figure skating title
yesterday before a roaring home crowd,
springing back from a disappointing result
at last month’s Sochi Olympics. Russia’s 15year-old European champion Julia
Lipnitskaia finished second and Italian veteran and Olympic bronze medallist
Carolina Kostner took third at the world
championships in Saitama, near Tokyo.
Asada, the 2008 and 2010 world champion, finished sixth in Sochi landing her
trademark triple axel, fighting back from a
disastrous 16th spot in the short programme.
The 23-year-old, who broke her South
Korean rival Kim Yu-Na’s world short programme record on Thursday, made a few
minor jumping mistakes in the free skate of
what could be the last competition of her
career. But she excelled in other elements,
hitting a maximum level-four in three spins
and a step sequence to collect a table-topping 138.03 points.
Her total of 216.69 points was her personal best, breaking the previous mark of
207.59 she set last November for Japan’s
NHK Trophy.
“I have regrets on the one mistake I
made today but I think I could control
myself and I have done what I have to do,”
she said. “But overall I am very satisfied
with my performance.”
Asada, the only skater who regularly
attempts the technically demanding but
high-scoring triple axel in top competitions, under-rotated the 3.5-rotation jump
in her opening element, skating to the

music of “Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor”
by Sergei Rachmaninov.
She also under-rotated her next jump, a
triple flip, in a combination with a triple
loop, and took a triple lutz off the wrong
edge.
But her graceful spins, steps and spirals
were enough to send a sell-out crowd of
18,200 to their feet at the Super Arena
which also saw men’s Olympic champion
and compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu win his first
world title overnight.
Taking a one-year leave from university
in her hometown of Nagoya, Asada has
experienced a roller-coaster Olympic season.
She won the US and Japanese Grand
Prix events and the GP final. But she slipped
to third spot at the nationals in December
before the disaster in Sochi.
Her resilience since Sochi has touched
many skating stars including Russian legend Yevgeny Plushenko who called her a
“real fighter” on Twitter.
On Thursday, Asada scored 78.66 points
to top the previous short programme
world mark of 78.50 points scored by Kim
when she beat the Japanese into second
spot at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Kim and Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova, who
stopped the Korean’s bid for back-to-back
Olympic golds in Sochi amid controversy
over the judging, both skipped the worlds.
“The Olympics and worlds brought me
happiness and also made me regret,” Asada
said. “I went through so many emotions but
after all it made me realise again how wonderful skating is.” —AFP

DENVER: Marco Belinelli scored 27
points and Tim Duncan had 20 as
the San Antonio Spurs extended
their winning streak to 16 games by
beating the Denver Nuggets 133102 in the NBA on Friday.
Reser ve Patty Mills had 16
points for the Spurs, who scored a
season high in points. It’s their
longest regular season win streak
since reeling off 17 straight from
Feb. 29 to March 31, 1996.
San Antonio also maintained a
three-game lead for the top playoff seed in the Western
Conference. Randy Foye scored 20
for the Nuggets, who lost for the
fourth time in five games. Kenneth
Faried, struggling with an illness,
finished with 18 points and 13
rebounds.
HEAT 110, PISTONS 78
LeBron James had 17 points, 12
assists and 10 rebounds to help
Miami build a big lead, and then
rested in the fourth quarter. It was
James’ first triple-double of the
season and No. 37 for his career.
The banged-up Heat had little
trouble with the Pistons even
though they were without
Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers,
Ray Allen and Greg Oden.
Udonis Haslem scored 12 of his
17 points in the first quarter, when
James already had seven assists.
Chris Bosh scored 15 for Miami.
Greg Monroe and Will Bynum each
had 12 points for the Pistons.

PHOENIX: JR Smith No. 8 of the New York Knicks handles the ball guarded by Goran Dragic No. 1
of the Phoenix Suns during the first half of the NBA game. —AFP

WIZARDS 91, PACERS 78
John Wall scored 20 points as
Washington avenged two of its
biggest losses of the season.
Marcin Gortat added 17 points
and 12 rebounds for the Wizards,
who dropped their first two
games against the Pacers this season by a combined 47 points. Al
Harrington added 12 points,
including a personal 10-0 run in
the second quarter.
Indiana was due for a letdown
two nights after a big win over
Miami in a matchup of the top
two teams in the Eastern
Conference. The Pacers committed
five turnovers in the first four minutes Friday and shot 35 percent
overall.
Paul George scored 19 points,
and Lance Stephenson had 13
points and matched a career-high
with 14 rebounds for the Pacers,
who have lost a season-high four
straight road games.

TRAIL BLAZERS 91, BULLS 74
Mo Williams scored 18 points to
lead five players in double figures
as Portland won on the road for a
second straight night.
Damian Lillard had 16 points for
the Blazers, who won in Atlanta on
Thursday after dropping the first
three games of their road trip.
Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez
had 13 points apiece.
The Blazers got past the Bulls
easily, despite a quiet night from
All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who
was playing just his second game
after missing two weeks with a
back injury. He had five points and
13 rebounds in 29 minutes.
Carlos Boozer had 16 points and
12 rebounds in 24 minutes for
Chicago. Joakim Noah added 11
points and 10 rebounds.

RAPTORS 105, CELTICS 103
Amir Johnson scored the winning basket with seven seconds
remaining as Toronto clinched its
first playoff berth in six seasons.
DeMar DeRozan scored 30
points as the Raptors won for the
18th time in 24 home games.
Terrence Ross had 17 points,
Greivis Vasquez scored 15 and
Jonas Valanciunas finished with
13.
The Atlantic Division-leading
Raptors last reached the playoffs in
2007-08, losing in five games to
Orlando in the first round. This is
their sixth playoff berth in 19 seasons.
Jerryd Bayless scored 14 of his
20 points in the fourth quarter for
Boston, which has dropped three
straight and eight of nine.
SUNS 112, KNICKS 88
Goran Dragic scored 32 points in
32 minutes as Phoenix routed New
York for its season-high sixth victory
in a row. Eric Bledsoe added 16
points, seven rebounds and six
assists, Markieff Morris scored 16
and Miles Plumlee had 11 points
and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who
led by 22 at halftime and 32 in the
third quarter. Carmelo Anthony
scored 21, seven below his season
average, and Amare Stoudemire 19
for the Knicks, blown out for the
second time in three games on their
five-game Western Conference road
trip.
Phoenix pulled a game ahead of
idle Dallas for the eighth and final
playoff berth in the West. The Knicks
fell two games behind Atlanta for
the eighth spot in the East.

score in double figures and shot 55
percent from the field. Luol Deng
and Dion Waiters each scored 20
points for the Cavaliers, who had
won three in a row.

season. Durant could have done
more damage, but he sat for good
with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
Russell Westbrook had 18 points
and six assists for the Thunder, who
have won five of six. Ben
McLemore scored 18 points and
Travis Outlaw added 17 for the
Kings.

WARRIORS 100, GRIZZLIES 93
Stephen Curry scored 33 points,
including a tiebreaking 3-pointer, as
Golden State used a closing run to
beat Memphis. Klay Thompson
added 14 points as the Warriors
beat the Grizzlies at home for the
first time in six meetings. Thompson
had a pair of clinching free throws.
Marreese Speights scored 15 and
Jermaine O’Neal added 10 points
for the Warriors, who moved two
games ahead of the Grizzlies for the
sixth playoff seed in the Western
Conference.
Zach Randolph scored 21 points
for Memphis, which won eight of
their previous 10 games. Mike
Conley added 20 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 143, LAKERS 107
Kevin Love had 22 points, 10
rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double, leading
Minnesota to the easy win.
Nikola Pekovic scored 26 points
on 9-for-10 shooting in his first
game back from an ankle injury
and Kevin Martin scored 17 points
for the Wolves, who led by 19
points in the first quarter, 37 in the
second and 40 in the third.
Steve Nash made a surprise
appearance for the Lakers, picking
up four points and six assists in 14
minutes of just his 12th game of
the season.

PELICANS 102, JAZZ 95
Tyreke Evans had 22 points and
a career-high 15 assists as the
short-handed Pelicans overcame
the loss of Anthony Davis to
extend their winning streak to a
season-high five games.
Davis left in the first quarter
with a left ankle injury, further
depleting New Orleans’ already
injur y-riddled roster. Anthony
Morrow scored 20 points for New
Orleans. Alexis Ajinca, playing
extended minutes in Davis’
absence, had 10 rebounds, nine
points and three blocks.
Derrick Favors had 18 points
and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who
lost their third straight. The
Pelicans played without guards Eric
Gordon (left knee tendinitis) and
Brian Rober ts (left knee bone
bruise).
MAGIC 110, BOBCATS 105
Nikola Vucevic had 24 points
and 23 rebounds for Orlando, and
Jameer Nelson scored five points in
overtime. Aaron Afflalo, who finished with 17 points, sent the
game into overtime with a 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds remaining as
Orlando won its second straight.
Nelson’s 3-pointer with 2:26 left in
OT put the Magic ahead for good.
Josh McRoberts had a careerhigh 24 points for Charlotte.
Kemba Walker also scored 24
points and Al Jefferson added 20
points and eight rebounds. —AP

NETS 108, CAVALIERS 97
Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 22
points in a flawless first quarter as
Brooklyn quickly pulled away in
the second on the way to its 12th
straight home victory.
Joe Johnson added 14 points
for the Nets, who played three
straight overtime games on their
just-completed road trip, losing the
last two of them. They won at
home for the 19th time in their last
21 games. The Nets had six players

THUNDER 94, KINGS 81
Kevin Durant scored 29 points
to power Oklahoma City to the victory. Durant has scored at least 25
points in 37 consecutive games,
the longest streak since Michael
Jordan’s 40-game run for the
Chicago Bulls during the 1986-87

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait sponsored the Al-Amal (Hope) Football Tournament for the Deaf, which was organized
by Al-Amal School for Boys with Special Needs. Amani Al-Wara’a, the CBK’s Assistant General Manager of the Advertisement and
Public Relations Department, was honored during the closing ceremony.

CHITTAGONG: South Africa produced another clinical performance to beat England by three runs in Chittagong to
advance to the World Twenty20 semi-finals yesterday.
AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla hit half-centuries to
anchor South Africa’s highest total of the tournament of 1965 before Wayne Parnell took 3-31 to keep England down to
193-7 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium.
South Africa are the second team to qualify for the semis
after 2007 champions India cruised to the last four from
Group Two.
The defeat-second in three Group One Super-10 matchessent 2010 champions England out of the semi-final race. Sri
Lanka meet New Zealand in their last Group One match on
Monday and the winners will join South Africa in the last four.
Pakistan meet Bangladesh in a Group Two match in Dhaka
on Sunday and if the 2009 champions beat the hosts their
last match against title holders the West Indies will decide
the last semi-final berth.
England, who chased down a 190-run target against Sri
Lanka on Thursday, failed to match that performance with
Alex Hales (38), Jos Buttler (34) and Ravi Bopara (31) unable
to benefit from good starts. Parnell, who was released from
the squad for two days to attend a court hearing relating to
drug charges in the 2012 Indian Premier League in Mumbai
on Friday, dismissed Michael Lumb (18), Hales and Moeen Ali
(10) to jolt England after they were off to a 46-run start by the
fifth over.
Hales hit six boundaries and a six off 22 balls but once he
departed the target continued to climb on England with 45
needed off the last three overs and 22 off Dale Steyn’s final
over.
South Africa’s total was built around a swashbuckling 28ball 69 not out by De Villiers and a 37-ball 56 by Amla. De
Villiers was ruthless in the final overs, taking 26 off Jade
Dernbach’s 18th over and reached his fifty with a towering six
off just 23 balls.
In all he hit nine boundaries and three sixes to help South
Africa during an innings stopped twice for floodlight failure.
South Africa smashed 75 in the last five overs. Amla and
Quinton de Kock (29) helped South Africa to 90 without loss
in the 11th over with the former in a punishing mood.
The bearded Amla hit six boundaries and two sixes before
he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Stuart Broad. South
Africa made two changes from the line-up which beat the
Netherlands in their last game, with Farhan Behardien and
Parnell in for regular skipper Faf Du Plessis-suspended for
one match due to a slow over-rate-and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
New Zealand sent the Netherlands out of the tournament
with a clinical six-wicket win earlier in the day. —AFP

NZ thump Netherlands

CHITTAGONG: New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum plays a shot during
the ICC World Twenty20 tournament cricket match against Netherlands. —AFP

CHITTAGONG: Brendon McCullum hit a robust half-century to steer New Zealand to a comprehensive six-wicket
win over the Netherlands in a World Twenty20 Super-10
game in Chittagong yesterday.
McCullum hit a punishing 45-ball 65 with three sixes
and four boundaries to make easy work of a 152-run target which New Zealand chased down in 19 overs.
McCullum also became the first man to reach 2,000
runs in Twenty20 cricket when he cleared 21 in his 67th
match. The victory gives New Zealand their second win in
three games while the Netherlands, the only associate
side to qualify for the second round, crashed out of the
event with three defeats in as many games.
McCullum added 42 for the second wicket with Kane
Williamson (29) and another 46 for the fourth wicket with
Corey Anderson who made an unbeaten 20.
McCullum holed out in the 17th over off paceman
Timm van der Gugten who took 3-30 in his four overs. But
there was no support from any other Dutch bowler as
New Zealand’s strong batting line-up was too good for
them. South Africa play England in the other Group One
game later Saturday. Both South Africa and Sri Lanka have
two wins in three games while England have one win in
two matches.
“Definitely, Netherlands put up a really good fight,” said
man-of-the-match McCullum. “There was a lot of talk
about their game against Sri Lanka (Netherlands out for
39), but we had a lot of respect for them and we were
focused.”
The losing captain Peter Borren said McCullum made
the chase easy. “Brendon got them through, but if we’d got
him early something could have happened.”
Earlier Borren made 49 and Tom Cooper an unbeaten 40
during their 60-run fourth wicket stand off just 35 balls to
steer their team to 151-4 in 20 overs.
Borren hit seven boundaries and a six off 35 balls to
improve on his previous best T20 score of 38 not out made
against Afghanistan at Sharjah last year.
Cooper knocked two sixes and four boundaries off 23
balls to help his team add 43 in the last five overs. The
Netherlands were off to a steady 34-run start with opener
Stephan Myburgh hitting a boundary and a six before he
holed out to paceman Trent Boult, who replaced Tim
Southee in the team. New Zealand also brought in allrounder Jimmy Neesham for Colin Munro from the line-up
which beat England yesterday.
Michael Swart made a run-a-ball 26. The top two teams
from both groups will qualify for the semi-finals. India have
already qualified for the last four from Group Two. —AFP

MADRID: Barcelona rounded off a fine week
to move top of La Liga as they overcame stiff
resistance from local rivals Espanyol to win
1-0 thanks to a penalty from Lionel Messi.
The Argentine scored the only goal of the
game 14 minutes from time at Cornella El
Prat after Javi Lopez was adjudged to have
handled inside the area.
Espanyol were then reduced to 10 men
when goalkeeper Kiko Casilla saw a straight
red card for blocking Messi’s goalbound
effort with his hands outside the area.
Victory moves Barca two points clear of
Atletico Madrid and five ahead of Real
Madrid with both sides from the capital in
action later on Saturday against Athletic
Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano respectively.
Knowing his side would be in for a difficult
afternoon, Barca boss Gerardo Martino
named almost his strongest side despite
Tuesday’s upcoming Champions League
quarter-final clash with Atletico. Andres
Iniesta was left on the bench after having to
come off during Wednesday’s 3-0 won over
Celta Vigo with a slight muscular problem,
whilst Jose Manuel Pinto replaced the
injured Victor Valdes in goal.
The visitors started brightly and would
have been in front had their star forwards
been at their best as both Neymar and Messi
wasted good headed chances when well
placed inside the area.
Neymar then missed a glorious opportunity on 19 minutes when he blazed Dani
Alves’ cross over from point-blank range
with an open goal to aim at.
Pizzi was next to pass up a wonderful

chance as just two minutes later he fired
over with just Pinto to beat from Sergio
Garcia’s inviting cross.
Javier Mascherano was lucky not to concede a penalty as he appeared to catch Javi
Lopez with a stray arm as the Espanyol fullback broke into the box.
Neymar came close to breaking the
deadlock once more before the break as he
prodded Jordi Alba’s through ball beyond
Casilla but the ball rolled passed the far
post.
There was far less in the way of goalmouth action in the second-half, but Barca
upped the pressure as Espanyol started to
tire in the final 20 minutes and Gerard Pique
struck the crossbar from Sergio Busquets’
flick-on.
Moments later Martino’s men did get the
all-important goal as Lopez handled whilst
contesting a cross with Neymar at the far
post and this time referee Clos Gomez did
point to the spot.
Messi stepped up and, just as in scoring
twice from the spot in Barca’s 4-3 win over
Real Madrid last weekend, showed no sign
of nerves as he calmly slotted home his
36th goal of the season.
Espanyol finished the game with 10 men
as Casilla then saw red for handling outside
the area as he blocked a lob from Messi that
appeared to heading goalwards. Lopez
ended an eventful afternoon by going in
goal as the hosts had already made all three
substitutions and made a fine save in stoppage time to prevent Alexis Sanchez doubling Barca’s lead. —AFP

Bayern held by Hoffenheim
BERLIN: Champions Bayern Munich drew
only their third Bundesliga match of the season yesterday when they were held 3-3 at
home to Hoffenheim.
Bayern were confirmed German league
winners for the 24th time with a record seven
games to spare after Tuesday’s 3-1 win at
Hertha Berlin and after partying through the
night in the capital, they suffered a slight
hangover in Munich.
Hoffenheim ended Bayern’s record run of
19 consecutive Bundesliga wins before
Munich head to England for Tuesday’s
Champions League quarter-final at
Manchester United.
Bayern midfielder Thiago Alcantara will
miss the Manchester match with a knee
injury after limping off after only 25 minutes
against Hoffenheim, who matched Freiburg
and Bayer Leverkusen in holding Bayern to a
league draw this season.
A high-scoring tie was always on the cards
between the league’s two highest scoring
sides: Bayern’s 82 goals compared to
Hoffenheim’s 63.
This was the first time Bayern have leaked
three goals in a Bundesliga match this season
and having dropped just six points with three
draws, they are bidding to become the first
team to go through a Bundesliga season
unbeaten.
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola rested stars
Arjen Robben, Mario Mandzukic, Philipp
Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from his
starting line-up, but still fielded nine internationals.
Veteran striker Claudio Pizarro scored
twice, while Swiss wing Xherdan Shaqiri also
got on the scoresheet in the first half after
Hoffenheim took an early lead through striker
Anthony Modeste.

Bosnia midfielder Sejad Salihovic curled in
a 44th-minute free-kick to make it 3-2 at the
break. Hoffenheim grabbed the crucial
equaliser on 75 minutes when Brazilian leftwing Roberto Firmino darted onto a through
ball and his shot beat both Bayern centreback Dante and goalkeeper Tom Starke.
Despite the draw, Bayern still remain 22
points clear in the table and extended their
record unbeaten Bundesliga run to 53 matches.
Germany winger Marco Reus netted a hattrick as Borussia Dortmund fought back from
2-0 down to win 3-2 at ten-man VfB Stuttgart.
Dortmund face Real Madrid away on
Wednesday in the Champions League quarter-finals and some woeful defending left
them 2-0 down after just 20 minutes.
Stuttgart midfielders Christian Gentner
and Martin Harnik took advantage with the
guests’ defence in disarray. Reus pulled one
back with a superb finish on 30 minutes, then
hit the equaliser when he converted a 68thminute penalty after Stuttgart Georg
Niedermeier was shown a red-card for bringing down Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski
in the area.
Reus saved his best for last when he completed his hat-trick with a long-range shot
which took a deflection off defender Daniel
Schwaab on 83 minutes.
Bayer Leverkusen hold onto fourth in the
league despite drawing 1-1 at home to bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig as Sami
Hyypia’s side struggle for form with one win
in their last 11 games.
Braunschweig took a shock lead through
defender Ken Reichel just after the break
before former Germany striker Stefan
Kiessling slotted home a 53rd-minute penalty
to spare Bayer’s blushes. —AFP

MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger controls
the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga football match against
Hoffenheim. —AFP

MANCHESTER: Wayne Rooney scored twice
and Juan Mata claimed his first Manchester
United goal to cheer under-fire manager
David Moyes with a 4-1 victory over Aston
Villa yesterday.
A 13th-minute Ashley Westwood free-kick
had shot Villa into an early lead, putting
United at risk of succumbing to three consecutive home league defeats for the first time in
35 years.
But after some nervous moments, goals
from Rooney, Mata and Javier Hernandez
ensured that United will go into Tuesday’s
Champions League quarter-final first leg
against Bayern Munich with at least a degree
of confidence.
United were looking for a response to
their 3-0 loss at home to Manchester City in
the derby on Tuesday, but after Rafael da
Silva tripped Gabriel Agbonlahor, Westwood
swept home a magnificent free-kick to put
Villa ahead.
It was a potentially disastrous opening for
Moyes, who, despite pre-match speculation
surrounding his position, had been warmly
welcomed by United’s fans.
Moyes emerged to take his place in the
dug-out ahead of the players and was greeted with a standing ovation from large sections of supporters.
A few moments after kick-off, an aeroplane flew over Old Trafford trailing a banner
that read ‘WRONG ONE - MOYES OUT’.
But, once more, the United supporters
actually turned on the publicity-hungry fans
behind the stunt, booing the plane rather
than their manager.
If that support was welcome, what Moyes
really required was an equaliser and, thankfully for the Scot, it came from Rooney with
20 minutes on the clock.
Shinji Kagawa darted towards the area

West Brom 3

and picked out the unmarked England international with a neat, chipped cross, which
Rooney expertly headed past Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan from 10 yards.
The goal notably lifted manager, players
and the crowd at Old Trafford and Mata laid
the ball off for Rooney soon after for a fierce
20-yard shot that was bravely blocked by
defender Ciaran Clark.
Then Rooney turned provider, clipping
over a dangerous free-kick that Nemanja
Vidic headed just wide. Villa were playing
without fear, as most visitors to Old Trafford
are this season, but Mata and Rooney were
always a threat and that combination helped
United take the lead moments before the
half-time whistle.
After chasing onto Kagawa’s through ball,
Mata was chopped down by Leandro
Bacuna, prompting referee Martin Atkinson
to point immediately to the spot.
Rooney’s penalty kick was as clinical as his
earlier header had been, with his right-foot
shot easily beating the diving Guzan. Moyes
brought Michael Carrick on for Rafael at the
interval, presumably because of an injury to
the Brazilian full-back.
Carrick had to slot in at centre-back and
he quickly justified his manager’s faith by
making a last-ditch tackle to thwart Christian
Benteke, who had just miskicked from six
yards with the goal at his mercy. The Villa forward almost made amends minutes later as
he rose to meet Marc Albrighton’s right-wing
cross and placed a header inches over United
goalkeeper David de Gea’s crossbar. Those
misses proved costly as Mata scored United’s
third after 57 minutes following a strong
header into the area by Alexander Buttner.
Marouane Fellaini miscontrolled the loose
ball, but Mata pounced and buried a rightfoot snapshot past Guzan from a dozen yards.
Benteke appealed unconvincingly for a
penalty after contact from Vidic, and should
have done better later as he failed to make
telling contact with a long through ball.
United continued to press, though, and after
Guzan had repelled powerful attempts from
substitute Adnan Januzaj and Rooney, the
former crossed from the left for Hernandez to
volley home in injury time. —AFP

Matches on TV
(Local Timings)

Cardiff 3

Cardiff ease
drop fears
WEST BROMWICH: Cardiff City kept their
hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier
League alive but drew West Bromwich Albion
deeper into the dogfight at the foot of the
table with a thrilling 3-3 draw at The
Hawthorns yesterday.
After finding themselves 2-0 down after
just nine minutes to goals from Morgan
Amalfitano and Graham Dorrans, the
Bluebirds hit back through the in-form pair of
Jordan Mutch and Steven Caulker.
But three minutes into injury time, Thievy
seemd to have sealed the points for the home
side only for Mats Daehil to snatch a late point
for Cardiff with an extra five minutes on the
clock.
Having found themselves drawn into the
relegation battle in recent weeks, largely due
to having drawn five and lost one of their last
seven home games, the Baggies wasted no
time in taking a grip on the match. West Brom
raced into a 2-0 lead insde the first nine minutes, with Morgan Amalfitano rounding off a
rapid breakaway with a long-range low rightfooted shot into the bottom left corner with
less than two minutes on the clock.
Amalfitano had a similar chance to double
the score on six minutes but missed the target
before Graham Dorrans made it 2-0 on eightand-a-half minutes when he drove home from
Matej Vydra’s pass.
Mutch dragged the Bluebirds back into it
on the half-hour with a powerful shot from
outside the area after being set up by Aron
Gunnarsson.
Then, with the game seeming to be heading for a low-key West Brom victory, Cardiff
found an equaliser when Caulker headed
home a well-flighted ball from Gary Medel
with 18 minutes left.
But all the thrills were to come deep in
injury time, Thievy’s low left-foot shot again
putting West Brom in the driving seat, only for
Daehil to pop up and lash home Ben Turner’s
pass for an invaluable point. —AFP

LONDON: Manchester City could not
exploit an earlier defeat by Premier
League leaders Chelsea and had to be
content with a point from a 1-1 draw
at Arsenal yesterday.
The visitors looked on course for
the summit after taking an 18thminute lead through David Silva, but
Mathieu Flamini earned his side a
share of the spoils early in the second
half.
City would have moved ahead of
Chelsea, who had surprisingly lost 1-0
at Crystal Palace, and Liverpool, who
are at home to Tottenham Hotspur on
Sunday, had they won, but Chelsea
remain at the summit for now. Manuel
Pellegini’s side stay in third place, but
will have two games in hand over their
rivals once the Liverpool game is concluded, so their title destiny remains in
their own hands.
Arsenal’s title hopes continue to
fade, however, as they find themselves
still in fourth, five points behind
Chelsea with only six games remaining.
Arsenal made one change from the
side that drew 2-2 at home to Swansea
City on Tuesday due to a late Flamini
own goal, with Lukas Podolski replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Unsurprisingly, City retained the
same starting XI that had won 3-0 at
Manchester United on the same night.
City had scored early at Old Trafford
and almost repeated the trick when
Jesus Navas curled just wide in the
third minute after the visitors had
twice got in behind the home defence
on the right flank. Kieran Gibbs was
finding himself exposed on the left of
the home defence, with Podolski offering little protection in front of him.
Arsenal replied with a ball into the
box from Santi Cazorla that saw Tomas
Rosicky go down under Pablo
Zabaleta’s challenge.
The City defender had not got the
ball, but referee Mike Dean awarded a
goal-kick rather than the penalty
Arsenal wanted.
City then opened the scoring
through Silva, who started and finished the counter-attack himself. The
Spain midfielder brought the ball forward before slipping Edin Dzeko in on
the left.
The striker’s low shot cannoned
back off goalkeeper Wojciech
Szczesny’s near post to Silva, who got
enough of a touch to divert it into
the net.

LONDON: Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Jesus Navas (left) vies with Arsenal’s Spanish
midfielder Mikel Arteta during their English Premier League football match. —AFP
Flamini put the ball in the City net
straight after with an effort that
bounced over City goalkeeper Joe
Hart, but the Frenchman was one of
two offside attackers when the cross
came in so it did not count.
The setback seemed to galvanise
Arsenal, who continued to attack, and
Yaya Toure was booked for tugging
Rosicky to the ground, with Vincent
Kompany also cautioned for a bodycheck on Mikel Arteta.
The half then drifted into a war of
attrition and ended with Rosicky

booked for a late challenge on Gael
Clichy and Silva cautioned for catching
Arteta.
City almost doubled their lead early in the second half when Szczesny’s
parry of a Navas cross hit Per
Mertesacker and bounced just wide.
But Arsenal then equalised in the
53rd minute through Flamini, whose
first-time effort from Podolski’s leftwing cross beat Hart.
It was not long before Podolski was
presented with a great chance to fire
Arsenal ahead, but Hart was able to

divert his low drive from the left of the
box behind for a corner.
City eventually recovered their
poise and swapped Navas for James
Milner after Szczesny had tipped over
a long-range effort from Fernandinho.
Szczesny did well to block from Toure
in a scramble, before Dzeko’s follow-up
was deflected behind. The final few
minutes were tense, with both sides
keen to carry on attacking, but not if it
meant being caught on the counterattack, and it was no surprise that the
game ended all square. —AFP

STOKE-ON-TRENT: Peter Odemwingie scored
for the third game running as Stoke City continued their impressive form with a 1-0 win
over Hull City in the Premier League yesterday.
The Nigeria international struck in the
62nd minute at the Britannia Stadium, seizing
on a loose pass from Hull wing-back Ahmed
Elmohamady before drilling home from the
edge of the box.
It was Stoke’s third successive win, taking
Mark Hughes’s side to the 40-point mark synonymous with safety from relegation and
leaving FA Cup semi-finalists Hull seven points
above the bottom three in 14th place.
Hull manager Steve Bruce fielded Steve
Harper in goal after Allan McGregor damaged
his kidneys in the 2-1 mid-week defeat at West
Ham United, but opposite number Asmir
Begovic was the first goalkeeper to be called
into action.
Hull striker Shane Long latched onto a long
ball and teed up Tom Huddlestone, whose 25yard drive obliged Begovic to plunge to his
right and touch the ball around the post for a
corner.
The visitors continued to press and in the
13th minute Liam Rosenior squandered a
good chance to open the scoring, heading the
ball over a gaping goal from Long’s right-wing
cross.
It was not until shortly before half-time
that Stoke first threatened, but Marko
Arnautovic’s tame low shot was comfortably
saved by Harper.
Harper had to save from Odemwingie early
in the second half, before Begovic readjusted
brilliantly to block a deflected effort from
David Meyler at the other end, with Nikica
Jelavic putting the rebound wide. Hull
appeared to be taking control, but they had a
hand in their own downfall as Stoke made the
breakthrough with just under half-an-hour to
play.
Elmohamady’s ambitious crossfield pass
went straight to Odemwingie, who tore
through the Hull defence before beating
Harper with a low shot.
Odemwingie threatened to add a second
with an overhead kick that flew wide, while
Harper had to parry from Stephen Ireland.
Hull’s best chance of an equaliser fell to Jelavic
with 12 minutes remaining, but he missed his
kick from Meyler’s knock-down. —AFP

SOUTHAMPTON: England international trio Jay Rodriguez, Rickie
Lambert and Adam Lallana all
scored to give Southampton a
thumping 4-0 win against
Newcastle United at St Mary’s yesterday.
Rodriguez’s two goals came
either side of strikes from Lambert
and Lallana to make it a miserable
afternoon for visiting manager Alan
Pardew, who was back after serving
a three-game stadium ban following his head-butt on Hull City’s
David Meyler recently.
The win lifts Southampton
above Newcastle into eighth place
in the table but both clubs remain
cut adrift from the fight for
European places while also being
well clear of the relegation zone.
Indeed, so little was at stake on
the field that most of the pre-match

attention was on two men who
were not playing. Pardew was back
after his stadium ban, but this was
the first game of a four-match suspension from the touchline as he
faced the club he managed in
League One for a year before being
sacked in 2010.
Meanwhile, referee Andre
Marriner was in charge a week after
sending-off Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs
instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
in a clear case of mistaken identity in
the Gunners’ 6-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Southampton had lost just one of
their last 20 home league games
against Newcastle and they looked
by far the hungrier of the two teams
early on, with Rodriguez leading the
way.
Having shaken off a knock that
made him a pre-game doubt, he
missed three decent openings in
the first half-hour, the best coming
from a diving header that was
palmed away by the diving Robert
Elliot.
Elliot, standing in for the injured
Tim Krul, was called into action
again to keep out a Lambert effort
before Lallana headed wide when
unmarked.
Rodriguez then connected with

a Lambert knock-down only to be
denied by a superb Elliot save but
that duo combined again to get the
opening goal right on half-time.
Lambert sent a low pass across goal
and Rodriguez this time couldn’t
miss from point-blank range.
The hosts doubled their lead
four minutes after the restart when
Lallana floated the ball in from the
right, over Rodriguez who was
standing in an offside position, and
Lambert fired home his 10th in the
league this season.
With their top scorer Loic Remy
still missing, Newcastle failed to
score for the 10th time in their last
14 matches and the concession of
two more goals in the final 20 minutes made this a miserable way to
follow up Tuesday’s 3-0 home
defeat to Everton. Lallana’s 70thminute strike was the pick of the
day’s goals, as he picked up the ball
45 yards out and advanced before
beating Elliot with a superb strike
into the top corner.
And Rodriguez scored his second of the game, and 15th in the
league this season, as he cut inside
Mike Williamson before finishing
from close range to give Saints their
biggest win of the season.—AFP

Guzman boosts Swansea’s survival bid
Swansea 3

Norwich 0

SWANSEA: Swansea climbed
away from the relegation zone as
Jonathan de Guzman’s double
clinched a crucial 3-0 victory over
fellow strugglers Norwich yesterday.
De Guzman struck twice in
quick succession late in the first
half and Wayne Routledge added
the third after the break to give
Garry Monk’s side their first victory in 10 games in all competitions
and end a six-match winless run
in the Premier League.
De Guzman had been controversially denied the chance for a

potential winner at Arsenal on
Tuesday when referee Lee Probert
blew for full-time in the 2-2 draw
just as the Dutch midfielder was
about to shoot. The Dutch international made up for that frustrating finale at the Liberty Stadium
as the Swans leapfrogged
Norwich and moved seven points
clear of the relegation zone.
Norwich’s seventh successive
away defeat in all competitions
left Chris Hughton’s team six
points above the bottom three.
Monk’s team monopolised
possession in the early stages
without making the most of their
domination. Spanish striker
Michu, back from injury recently,
showed a little rust when he
reached for Jonjo Shelvey’s cross
and stabbed a shot well wide.
But Norwich had only themselves to blame when the hosts
broke the deadlock in the 30th
minute. Shelvey’s cross was poor-

ly cleared to the edge of the area,
where the unmarked de Guzman
was waiting to lash a low strike
past John Ruddy.
De Guzman wasn’t finished yet
and he capped an impressive
move to double Swansea’s lead
eight minutes later. Wilfried Bony
was the instigator with a clever
back-heeled pass that set de
Guzman clear and the midfielder
took full advantage to clip his
shot over Ruddy from eight yards.
The Canaries desperately
needed an early goal in the second half and they almost got it
when Robert Snodgrass’s effort
from outside the area was headed
off the line by Ashley Williams.
Monk’s men responded with a
sweeping attack which nearly culminated in a goal when de
Guzman unselfishly played in
Shelvey and the midfielder
slipped his marker before shooting narrowly wide. —AFP

African Story wins $10m Dubai World Cup
DUBAI: They came from Europe and Asia, from
South Africa and neighboring Saudi Arabia, but
the ruling Maktoum family dominated the $10
million Dubai World Cup over 2000 metres at
Meydan racecourse. Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, saw
horses in his colors finish first and third, courtesy of African Story and Cat O’Mountain
respectively.
And his brother, Sheikh Hamdan, saw his
silks carried into second place by Mukhadram.
African Story was a revelation, stalking frontrunning Mukhadram from the outset before
sweeping past with 200 metres left to run.
The horse who finished fifth in this race 12
months ago looked a different proposition this
time, stopping the clock in a new track-record

time 2 mins 01.61 secs under jockey Silvestre
De Sousa.
African Story won by two and three-quarter
lengths from Mukhadram, with Cat O’Mountain
a further four and a quarter lengths adrift.
Side Glance and Akeed Mofeed filled the
next two places but Military Attack and Ruler
Of The World, which were both expect to feature prominently, finished 10th and 12th
respectively.
Red Cadeaux, which chased home Animal
Kingdom in the race 12 months ago, again ran
well to finish sixth. Even though he had won
the race five times previously, victory meant a
lot to the winning trainer, Saeed Bin Suroor,
who trains exclusively for Sheikh Mohammed
and his family.

“I hadn’t trained the winner (of this race) for
seven years and I felt a lot of pressure from a lot
of people,” Bin Suroor said.
“I thought African Story was the right horse
for this race two years ago and I told that to the
boss. He is a special horse and I am dedicating
this victory to my mother. I am going to give
her my winner’s trophy.”
DE SOUSA’S BIGGEST VICTORY
De Sousa, for his part, was celebrating his
first winner in the world’s richest race.
Originally from Brazil, he was retained to ride
for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin enterprise
14 months ago. This was the biggest victory of
his career.
“It’s so special to win this race,” an elated De

Sousa said. “It’s a dream come true; I’m over the
moon. We had a bit of bad luck earlier in the
evening but this has saved the night.”
Mukhadram’s jockey, Paul Hanagan, briefly
entertained hopes of victory when he asked
his mount to accelerate on reaching the home
straight.
“For a moment I thought we’d stolen it but
we were beaten by a very good horse on the
night,” he said. African Story’s bid to win the
Dubai World Cup came after a flurry of runners
owned by the Al Maktoum family failed to
meet expectations in the previous seven races
for Thoroughbreds.
In a cosmopolitan gathering of horses from
around the globe, runners from Hong Kong
and Japan won two races each, with horses

Terry gifts Palace win
Crystal Palace 1

Chelsea 0

LONDON: Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes
suffered a major blow after John Terry’s 52ndminute own goal condemned Jose Mourinho’s
side to a 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened
Crystal Palace yesterday. The loss, Chelsea’s second successive away defeat, meant the league
leaders were unable to increase the pressure
on Manchester City and Liverpool, their nearest
challengers.
For Palace, a first win in six games moved
Tony Pulis’s side five points clear of the bottom
three and improved their chances of avoiding
an immediate return to the Championship.
Chelsea were unable to find a response
after Terry had headed past Petr Cech from Joel
Ward’s cross and Mourinho must now lift his
side ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mourinho had chosen to focus on the
defeat at Aston Villa two weeks previously, and
not last weekend’s comprehensive 6-0 defeat
of Arsenal, in the build-up to this game, repeating his criticism of referee Chris Foy’s performance at Villa Park.
The Chelsea manager admitted that he
feared the loss could prove costly to his side’s

title hopes and acknowledged that they could
not afford to slip up again against another
team in the bottom half of the table.
Perhaps with one eye on the midweek trip
to Paris, Mourinho made a switch to a 4-3-3 formation, employing David Luiz, Nemanja Matic
and Frank Lampard in a three-man midfield.
The change appeared to unsettle the visitors and they struggled to find the fluency that
marked the opening stages of the victories
against Galatasaray and Arsenal that followed
the loss at Villa.
Against the Gunners, Chelsea had been 3-0
up inside 17 minutes. On this occasion, it took
them the same period of time to create the first
notable chance, with Cesar Azpilicueta finding
his way to the byline and producing a low cross
that Andre Schurrle directed wide.
It was Palace, though, who responded more
positively to that opportunity, with Pulis’s side
offering more of a forward threat after withstanding Chelsea’s early pressure.
Yannick Bolasie’s pace down the left was
causing Branislav Ivanovic problems and the
winger should have put Palace ahead in the
25th minute when he was picked out by Jason
Puncheon’s right-wing cross. The DR Congo
international had time to control the ball and
finish, but his first touch was poor and he could
only find the side-netting when he finally got
his shot away.
That should have been a warning for
Chelsea, but the visitors seemed unable to
move through the gears. And they survived
two more scares before the break when Palace
twice had strong appeals for a penalty turned
down.

from Britain, Ireland and South Africa also getting in on the winning act. In the World Cup
itself, the South African runner, Sanshaawes,
reared up and caught a front foot in the gates
of the stalls before the race started. He was
unloaded and inspected by on-site veterinarians, who cleared him to run, but he could only
finish seventh.
As for African Story, he is unlikely to contest
the major races in Europe when Bin Suroor
transfers his string from Dubai to Newmarket
next month.
The seven-year-old is seen as a specialist
runner on the synthetic surface at Meydan
racecourse, where Jennifer Lopez closed proceedings with a live concert lasting 45 minutes. — AFP

‘Workers Cup’ for
Qatar laborers

LONDON: Crystal Palace’s Mile Jedinak (right) tussles with Chelsea’s Branislav
Ivanovic during their English Premier League soccer match at Selhurst Park. — AP
Visiting centre-back Gary Cahill was
involved in both incidents, appearing to catch
Cameron Jerome late in the 28th minute and
then halting Bolasie with a sliding tackle four
minutes later.
Referee Lee Mason deemed neither incident worthy of punishment, but it appeared
that Pulis was offering a different view when he
walked off the pitch with the match official at
the interval.
Mourinho clearly believed that his side had
under-performed during the first period and
replaced Luiz with Oscar at half-time.
The early signs were that Chelsea would not
repeat their first-half showing and they could

have been ahead four minutes after the restart
had Terry not scuffed a clear chance from a
Lampard corner.
Once again, though, Palace’s response was
impressive. Within a minute Jerome had sent a
glancing header wide from a Bolasie cross
when he should have done better.
The miss was quickly forgotten, however, as
Palace produced another left-wing cross, this
time from Ward, that Terry diverted into his
own net under pressure from Joe Ledley.
Chelsea were stunned and their attempts
to recover came to nought after Julian
Speroni saved from Eden Hazard and Terry
headed over. — AFP

DOHA: FIFA 2022 football World Cup host Qatar, criticised
for the dire conditions of foreign laborers building facilities
for the tournament, is holding a competition just for them,
organisers said yesterday. And the manager of a public relations firm in Qatar said the tournament is aimed at deflating
accusations that Doha is mistreating the migrants building
the venues for the World Cup.
“We care about the workers because they are the ones
building the stadiums and facilities,” said Nasser Kuwari.
Labor unions and rights campaigners say the migrant workers building the multi-million-dollar infrastructure for the
World Cup facing difficult living and working conditions in
energy-rich Qatar.
Amnesty International has they were being treated like
“animals,” and urged FIFA to press Qatar to improve the conditions of the laborers, most of them from South Asia.
And a report by the International Trade Union
Confederation said as many as 4,000 workers might die on
building sites before the tournament kicks off.
Qatar has dismissed that report as full of “factual errors”
and published a list of guidelines aimed at protecting the
rights of the expatriate workers.
It is against this background that competition in the
“Workers Cup” began this month for the second year running, as 24 teams started squaring off until two of them
reach the April 25 finals seeking a grand prize of 18,000 riyals
($5,000/3,623 euros).
The players, Asians and Africans mostly, are all migrant
workers employed by construction companies, said Adil
Ahmed, managing director of organisers QSports. “We wanted to bring a programme that the workers can actually call
their own,” Ahmed told AFP. On Friday FIFA accepted “some
responsibility” over the welfare of migrant workers but its
president Sepp Blatter told a Zurich news conference the
football federation was powerless to intervene. — AFP

Business

Kuwait investment sector
drives real estate sales
Page 25

The Kuwait summit
and its impact

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

Page 26
Kuwait companies
eye listing on LSE

Kuwait trade surplus down to KD24.3bn in 2013
Page 22

Page 23

Moody’s puts Russia on review for downgrade
Ukraine weighs on economic outlook
MOSCOW: Moody’s Investors Service placed
Russia’s government bond rating of ‘Baa1’ on
review for a downgrade as the conflict with
Ukraine weighs on the country’s economic
outlook. The credit rating agency said the crisis in Ukraine could significantly hurt investor
sentiment and further weaken Russia’s medium-term growth prospects, which had already
been lowered by the Russian authorities in
2013. Another driver underlying the review is
the agency’s concern regarding Russia’s “rising
susceptibility to political and financial event
risk, primarily driven by the risk of further

escalation of hostilities,” Moody’s said.
Russia’s seizure of Crimea earlier this month
after the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Moscow
president following mass protests has triggered the worst East-West crisis since the Cold
War. “The rating agency believes that the current crisis could significantly dampen investor
sentiment for several years to come by adding
to existing deterrents to investment posed by
Russia’s weak rule of law and high levels of corruption,” Moody’s said in a statement.
“This could further damage the country’s
economic outlook given its large investment

needs. It could also further constrain its ability
to diversify the economy away from overreliance on oil and gas,” the agency said.
Moody’s said it acknowledges Russia’s large
foreign-currency reserves and limited external
debt repayments and the current strength of
the government’s balance sheet. But it noted
that “wider economic sanctions and potential
countermeasures by Russia could, were they
to materialize, erode those financial buffers.”
Earlier this month, Standard & Poor’s and
Fitch Ratings revised their outlooks for Russia
to negative, saying they were concerned

about the potential impact of EU and US sanctions on Russia’s economy and business environment. The United States and other Western
states have sought to isolate Russia diplomatically and charge it an economic price for the
annexation of Crimea. Targeted US and EU visa
bans and asset freezes against senior Russian
and Crimean officials, with the threat of
tougher economic sanctions to come if Putin
goes any further, have accelerated capital
flight from Russia. During its ratings review,
Moody’s said it will seek to obtain greater clarity on the extent to which the current crisis will

exacerbate the country’s growth challenges as
well as the resilience of Russia’s economy, public finances and external position if the crisis
worsens.
Russia’s economy is already in trouble, with
growth slowing to under 2 percent, inflation
up and investment levels stagnant around 20
percent, well below necessary levels.
Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev
said capital outflows could total around $100
billion this year, and would slow economic
growth for full-year 2014 to well below earlier
forecasts of 2.5 percent.— Reuters

The new ‘silk road’
FRANKFURT: It is one of the world’s longest railways an
approximately 11,000-kilometre “modern-day silk road”
that traverses Russia and Kazakhstan to link a megacity in
the heart of China with a key commercial hub in western
Germany. Yesterday, as part of his landmark visit to
Germany, Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit the last
stop on the “Yuxinou” rail line, an industrial feat that promises to revolutionize transport between Europe and Asia.
Duisburg is a steel-making town of around half a million
on the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers that boasts
the world’s biggest inland port and is one of Germany’s
most important transport and commercial hubs.
Despite the vast distances between them, it takes just
16 days for trains crammed with laptops and electronics to
travel to Duisburg from Chongqing, a sprawling metropolitan symbol of rising China with a population of more than
30 million.
Xi is scheduled to welcome a freight train yesterday
afternoon as it completes a journey that has taken it
through Central Asia, Russia, Belarus and Poland. Set up in
2011 by a group of rail companies, the Yuxinou is just 2,000
km short of the world’s longest rail line that links Germany
to Shanghai. It has shaved more than 20 days off the sea
route.
The route is particularly useful for Chongqing-home to
vast car-parts and IT factories-since it lies 1,500 km from

China’s main seaports. “The value of this rail link, known in
China as the ‘new silk road’, is more than just symbolic,” the
spokesman of the port of Duisburg, Julian Boecker, said.
“It has found itself a position in the market and now
operates up to three weekly services,” he said.
But one of the biggest challenges will be to boost traffic
in both directions to make it more profitable. It is not
uncommon for the Yuxinou trains, which can transport as
many as 50 containers, to be full when they arrive in
Duisburg but empty when they return to China. “At the
moment, the amount of goods travelling from China to
Europe is much larger than the other way round. That’s a
problem,” said Maria Leenen, director of market research
group SCI Verkehr.
Alternative to sea transport
It was sea transport which gradually supplanted the historic Silk Road trade route linking Asia with Europe centuries ago. Sea transport still accounts for more than 95
percent of goods trading between the two regions, said
Burkhard Lemper of the logistics consultants ISL. Rail’s
share of the market remains tiny, and for now, the Yuxinou
link only compliments existing transport systems.
But “rail is twice as fast as sea transport and twice as
cheap as air freight,” said Erich Staake, head of the company that operates the Duisburg port. — AFP

TAIPEI: Demonstrators with a sign that reads “supporting the trade pact with China is good for Taiwan’s future” rally to ask the opposing students occupying the legislature to retreat and return the government building to its normal working schedule in Taipei yesterday. — AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

BUSINESS

Kuwait trade surplus down to KD24.3bn in 2013
NBK ECONOMIC REPORT
KUWAIT: Recent data show that Kuwait’s
trade surplus edged down to KD 24.3 billion in 2013, from a record KD 25.7 billion
in 2012. The surplus - estimated at
around 48 percent of 2013 GDP - was
pushed down by lower oil export
receipts during the year. Nevertheless,
the surplus is still the second-highest on
record, and extremely large by international standards. Though figures for the
current account position have not yet
been released, we expect it to have
recorded another stellar year on the back
of strong trade data. A current account
surplus of up to 40 percent of GDP for
2013 seems likely.
Oil exports edged down to KD 30.8
billion in 2013, some 3 percent lower
than a year earlier. This was due to lower
oil prices, as oil markets eased in 2013 on
the back of surging non-OPEC supplies
and modest growth in global demand.
Kuwait export crude prices averaged
$105 per barrel during the year, some $4
(4 percent) lower than in 2012.
Meanwhile, non-oil exports climbed
to a record KD 1.9 billion - though still
account for only 6 percent of total

exports. These were mainly driven by
higher exports of ethylene products,
which were up by a large 16 percent y/y.
Ethylene products’ contribution to nonoil exports has risen significantly over
the past few years, from 12 percent in
2008 to some 40 percent by 2013 - partly
related to capacity expansion in Kuwait’s
petrochemical sector.

Russia’s Lukoil begins
output from Iraq oilfield
BASRA: Russia’s Lukoil began commercial production from one of the world’s
largest untapped oilfields in Iraq yesterday, as the country raises output to
record levels. Production from the giant
West Qurna-2 is eventually expected to
reach 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd),
from an initial 120,000 bpd.
The field is one of several that form
the backbone of Iraq’s plans to revive
its oil sector and lift the economy after
decades of sanctions and war. At a ceremony to inaugurate the field, Iraqi Oil
Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said output from West Qurna-2 would enable
Iraq to reach a production target of 4
million bpd by the end of the year.
Output from Iraq, already the secondlargest producer in OPEC, averaged 3.5
million bpd in February. The launch of
West Qurna-2, with recoverable
reserves estimated at around 14 billion
barrels, will allow Lukoil, which holds a
75-percent stake in the field, to more
than double its overseas output. “The
start of production at West Qurna-2 is
strategically important for LUKOIL,” said
CEO Vagit Alekperov in a statement.

Russia’s no 2 oil producer saw its production rise 1.1 percent last year and is
aiming for a 1.5 percent rise this year
with the boost from West Qurna-2.
The world’s leading oil companies
have been expanding other giant fields
in Iraq’s south - Rumaila led by BP, West
Qurna-1 run by Exxon and Zubair operated by Eni since 2010 when they
signed a series of service contracts with
Baghdad. That revival, now into its fifth
year, prompted Iraq to set an export
target of 3.4 million bpd for 2014,
including 400,000 bpd from the
Kurdistan region, implying output of 4
million bpd, including oil used domestically.
Oil experts still see that as optimistic,
but growth is returning thanks to the
expanded capacity at southern export
terminals and further rises from the fields
of Majnoon, led by Shell and Halfaya,
where PetroChina is the operator.
Kurdistan has also agreed to contribute
100,000 bpd as of April 1 in a move to
resolve a dispute with the Baghdad government over exports of oil from the
autonomous region. — Reuters

S Iraq oil exports
2.48m bpd in March,
new field to open
BASRA: Oil exports from southern Iraq
have averaged 2.48 million barrels per day
(bpd) so far in March, a senior official said
yesterday, as Russia’s Lukoil prepared to
begin production from the country’s second-largest field.
Production in the south has averaged
2.5 million bpd so far this month, and
should rise to 2.65 million following the
inauguration of the giant West Qurna-2 oilfield, Dhiya Jaafar, the head of Iraq’s South
Oil Company, also said. Lukoil is due to start
pumping crude on Saturday from West

Qurna-2, considered the world’s secondlargest untapped deposit, with initial output of 120,000 bpd, eventually rising to 1.2
million bpd.
The launch of West Qurna-2, with recoverable reserves estimated at around 14 billion barrels, will allow Lukoil, which holds a
75-percent stake in the field, to more than
double its overseas output.
For Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, it is one of several key fields that will
help lift the economy after decades of
sanctions and war. — Reuters

Imports saw steady growth of around
9 percent in 2013, and reached an alltime high of KD 8.3 billion. Imports provide an important indicator of domestic
economic activity. On one crude measure, the latest import figures could indicate stable growth in non-oil GDP in
2013 - for which data is not yet available.
Within the non-oil economy, Kuwait’s

consumer sector has been an important
growth driver; imports of consumer
goods have grown at a faster rate than
other types of imports in recent years.
This year, we expect the trade balance
to shrink further, though remain very
large. Oil markets are expected to loosen
in 2014, putting downward pressure on
prices and reducing oil export receipts.

Meanwhile, the outlook for imports is
mixed. A faster pace of execution of
stalled government projects would provide a much-needed boost to the economy, while recent signs point to a slight
softening in the consumer sector.
Despite the latter, consumer spending
should remain relatively strong, supporting growth in imports.

Mother’s Exhibition concludes
with impressive participation
KUWAIT: Last Saturday, 2nd Mother ’s
Exhibition and Festival, organized by ExpoTag
for Organization of Exhibitions & Conferences
Co, under the auspices of Sheikha Fariha AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, director of the
Kuwait Association for the Ideal Family, was
closed. The event was held over a period of two
days at the Safir International Hotel - Bneid AlGar.
On this occasion, during its press statement,
Expo Tag Company indicated that the Festival
which was entitled (I Love You Mom) took care
of the special needs of the mother. There were
more than 35 participants that included (food
companies, skin care and beauty products, children’s toys and products, health institutes and
beauty centers, many chocolate products, international schools for training football, as well as
mobile phone and electronics companies).
It explained that the exhibition and festival
witnessed an impressive turnout. The attendants interacted with the program of this annual event, which included encouraging children
to make the nicest gifts for their mothers as
well as different contests, including cooking for
mothers on stage with their children. The program included distributing prizes to the participants and the audience and presenting certificates of appreciation for participating mothers.
At the end of the festival, the organizing
party, Expo Tag, honored the sponsors and participants in the event. Mrs. Dalia Wafai honored
the platinum sponsors of the Mother’s Festival
and Exhibition. These sponsors included Imad
General Trading and Contracting (Al-Alali),
Mohamed Nasser Al-Hajiri and Sons Company,
Al-Sayer Refreshments Plant Company, Barwa
Company, Royal Pharmacies Group, Al-Yusra
Food Company, and Kuwait Dairy Company.
Expo Tag also honored the golden sponsors
of the exhibition which included Al-Dala
Golden International Commercial Company,
Safir International - Kuwait, Tijan International
Dentistry Center, Al Kazemi International Food
Industries Plant, Kuwait National Bakeries
(Wafer) and Al-Marai Company - Kuwait.
Additionally, ExpoTag honored the parties
participating in the exhibition. These parties
include: Imco International Medical
Requirements Company, Kout Food Group
(Pizza Hut), Walden General Trading Company,
Premiere Jewel Academy (Everton), Al-Taham

NEW YORK: This file photo shows the Citibank building in New York. Citigroup cannot
raise its dividend or buy back its own stock because it needs better plans to cope
with a severe recession, the Federal Reserve ruled.—AP

As US momentum stocks take
beating, some sectors benefit
NEW YORK: Investors in some of the past
year’s hottest US stocks have been given a
savage lesson in the risks of so-called
“momentum trading”. A group of 24 such
companies compiled by Credit Suisse has lost
$63 billion in market value, or almost 19 percent, so far in March. One of them, streaming
video service Netflix, has declined on 15 of
the last 17 trading days, while another, online
travel service Priceline, is on pace to for its
worst month in nearly two years, while
Twitter sank below its November first-day
closing price for the first time. The sell off may
well have further to go, investors warn. For
one thing, the initial public offering market
looks vulnerable after King Digital
Entertainment, maker of the popular Candy
Crush online game, cratered on its debut, losing 15 percent in its first day of trade on
Wednesday, and another 2.7 percent on
Thursday. If such raisings get pulled or pared
back it will likely hurt the banks’ underwriting
fees. But while it all stands as a warning to
those who joined crowded trades in richly
priced stocks, it is good news for short sellers
who are prepared to bet against what they
see as over-valued stocks, and for investors
who spend their time searching for unrecognized gems trading at bargain-basement levels. It also indicates that the investing world
may be returning to more normal rules, that
includes sharper assessments of the risk in
different sectors, now that the Federal
Reserve’s bond-buying stimulus program is
being reduced and there is less “easy money”
sloshing around. “The weakness in momentum stocks does have an implication for the
broader market,” said Joshua Brown, vice
president of investments at Fusion Analytics
in New York. “The best way to gauge general
risk appetite is to look at momentum sectors.”
Near record levels
Investors and strategists stress that the
pain in the momentum area is mostly isolated
to that world. The wider stock market isn’t in
the crosshairs - and some sectors are benefiting as money is switched. “It would normally
be concerning to see this,” said Frank Gretz,
market analyst at brokerage Wellington
Shields & Co in New York. “Instead, other companies are stepping up and new leaders are
emerging. Enough is holding together that I
haven’t given up on the bull market even
with the leadership coming down.” The S&P
500 is within a few percent of record levels
and inflows into equity funds remain positive.
Investors have moved into utilities, financials
and telecom stocks.
In Credit Suisse’s analysis of the 24 stocks,
all but 1 of the companies derive at least 55
percent of their present value from their
future growth prospects. Essentially, they’re
big bets on the future, typical of biotech and
IT names. Some of the stocks have unenviable
characteristics. Servicenow and Incyte are
characterized as “worst in class” by Credit
Suisse’s proprietary analytical models - which
means they’re considered low quality names
with weak price momentum and pricey in value. Others, like Pandora Media, are considered “momentum traps,” that are expensive
and lower-quality, but have strong momentum. But it’s far from certain that such names
have a lot further to fall. The bull market has
been resilient, and that has helped stocks like
electric car maker Tesla Motors weather bouts
of weakness as it did in the fall of 2013, when

its shares lost 40 percent before streaking
again to new highs. John Hempton, chief
investment officer of Bronte Capital, a small
hedge fund based in Sydney, Australia - who
is also a prominent short seller - said he was
loath to say that momentum had “cracked.” “If
you go back to dot-com, there were five times
it cracked before it really cracked, and if you
shorted each of those cracks, you got yourself
carried out,” he said of the Internet stocks
boom in the late 1990s and the bust beginning in 2000.
He did say, however, that he has been
shorting a number of biotechnology names.
Other investors, too, have been reducing their
presence in the sector as reflected by a nearly
14 percent slide in the Nasdaq Biotech index
since late February. “We owned biotechs for
the last year and had a wonderful ride. We
sold them because valuations got stretched,”
said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors. He isn’t
ready to get back in yet. “Let’s induce some
fear. Let’s correct some prices. Let people
start to question what to do. Then there’s a reentry time,” he said.

KUWAIT: A number of Kuwaiti companies are
showing interest in listing on the London Stock
Exchange (LSE) exploring their growth opportunities globally, a top LSE official here said.
Talking to Kuwait Times in an interview, Ibukun
Adebayo, London Stock Exchange Group, CoHead, Emerging Markets and Primary Markets,
said, “Many Kuwaiti companies are looking at the
possibility of an overseas listing either to meet
their immediate capital requirements or to raise
their profile.”
Adebayo, who arrived in Kuwait after attending the three-day World Exchanges Congress in
Doha, met with many Kuwaiti businessmen and
officials at the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE).
“Kuwait has a distinct advantage in terms of
growth opportunities and stability. Kuwaiti
investors are aware of that and many have
shown interest in raising their capital on the LSE,”
he said. “We are offering businesses and companies in Kuwait the opportunity to use LSE as a
complementary financing venue for advancing
their equity story,” he stated.
Talking about the discussions he had with
KSE officials, Adebayo said they were ‘normal’
and centered primarily on admission and disclosure standards stock exchanges follow globally.
“There are businesses in Kuwait which have a
need to access capital outside of the current
pool in Kuwait. For example, certain companies
in oil and gas or real estate sectors may get a
better understanding of their sector or their
equity story due to the deep pool of knowledge
in a market like London. Kuwaiti companies can
avail of the potential and expertise for evaluation of opportunities in London,” he said.
However, Adebayo made it clear that if a
company is purely domestic in terms of its operations, those companies must be funded locally
either by the local stock exchange or the bank-

ing system. “Only when the companies are going
beyond the boundaries of Kuwait, then London
becomes a proposition. Where the story is purely
domestic, we as an exchange company, will
encourage the company to remain domestic. We
are very clear about that,” he stated.
Adebayo said this year’s World Exchanges
Congress in Doha shared new ideas and best

KUWAIT: Ibukun Adebayo, London Stock
Exchange Group, Co -Head, Emerging
Markets and Primary Markets.
—Photo by Sajeev K Peter
stock market practices across the globe. “We
talked about how to align stock exchanges more
closely for the benefit of companies, how to
change the clearing and settlement systems to
become more unified and how to improve the
experience of investors and issuers in the light of
emerging trends in new media and technology,”
he said.

China Southern profit
down 24%, as state
airline earnings slump

Worries about newbies
In the IPO market, investors have been fed
a steady diet of new public offerings from
companies yet to turn a profit. More than 50
IPOs have priced in 2014, and two-thirds of
those are unprofitable, according to
Renaissance Capital, an IPO investment advisor. King Digital is actually profitable but suffers from concerns that Candy Crush may be a
fad. “Candy Crush is a reminder that the market sometimes gets frothy and that this is not
free money,” said Sam Kendall, global head of
equity capital markets at UBS. Hempton said
he was less concerned about the technology
names coming to market than the biotech
shares. “Everything that I have seen [in tech] is
at least plausible that it could earn money.
People are still funding projects that are real
bets,” he said. “In biotech at the moment, people are funding projects because they can sell
them to the stock market.”
The long view
Activity from short-sellers indicate that
many do not believe the correction in
momentum names has fully shaken out the
group’s excess. The 24 stocks identified by
Credit Suisse have seen a slight increase in
short bets in the last week, according to
Markit. This group, on average, shows 18.8
percent of the shares available for borrowing
being used for shorting, up 0.6 percentage
points in the last week. However, some of the
names have seen shorts shaken out by periods in which they rallied. In the early part of
2013, more than 24 percent of Tesla shares
were being shorted. That’s been halved as the
stock has rocketed higher, boosting its forward price-to-earnings ratio to 113. By most
measures, shares are overvalued. But a fullscale retreat does not seem to be in the cards
at this point. Scott Wallace, chief investment
officer at Chicago-based hedge fund
Shorepath Capital, has boosted his position in
Facebook and is looking at biotechs more
closely. “It’s periods like these when you
should start to think about great long term
franchises and start to add to them,” he said. “I
had zero exposure to biotech going into this,
and now I’m doing my homework on a few of
them.” —Reuters

Emerging markets
Adebayo, who is a specialist in emerging markets, admitted that there are a number of macro
issues that affect the emerging markets. “We
have everything from the policy paralysis in
India to Crimean crisis in Russia to the pace of
devaluation in Argentina. But, London investor
base has always been good at discerning a
macro story from the pure fundamentals of a
company. Of course, the developments in the
emerging markets have an effect. But it doesn’t
mean that a company cannot raise money,” he
explained. “Investors have the ability look at the
pure fundamentals and growth prospects of the
company they are investing in. That is what
London does very well. The issues are relevant,
but they don’t remove the opportunity for
investment,” he added.
“In the GCC, there seems to be stability and
less risky growth. We have seen acute demand
for GCC stock especially for Kuwaiti and UAE
stocks, during issuances recently in London,” he
said. According to him several GCC companies
per form well on LSE after listing. Al-Noor
Hospitals undertook the second largest international IPO on LSE in 2013 and raised $342 million. Damac Real Estate Development raised
$400 million by issuing Global Depository
Receipts in December, 2013. It is the first UAE
property company to list in London and is the
largest IPO by a Middle Eastern company in
London since 2005.
Similarly, Kuwait’s Action Hotels that joined
AIM (Alternative Investment Market) in 2013,
raised 30 million pounds. Abu Dhabi’s Gulf
Marine Services raised $100 million in March
2014, took a premium listing on the Main Market
which appreciated by 35 percent since listing.
“The London investor base really likes the stability in the GCC. It is demonstrating that by buying
stocks when they become available on the LSE,”
Adebayo added.

Air Berlin denies
financial problems
FRANKFURT: Germany’s Air Berlin said
yesterday it had enough money to run
its business, denying claims by an
investor rights group it was trying to
hide its financial difficulties by twice
delaying publication of its annual
results. The airline, almost 30 percent
owned by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad
Airways, on Wednesday postponed publication of its results for the second time
in a week, saying it was in talks for a
recapitalization to strengthen its
finances.
“The company has sufficient liquidity
and also has additional flexibility
through an undrawn shareholder loan,”
Air Berlin said in an emailed statement

yesterday.
Daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung
quoted Michael Kunert, spokesman for
investor rights group SdK, as saying he
believed Air Berlin had breached financial disclosure rules. “Mr. Kunert’s claims
are wrong, and we believe they are damaging to our business,” Air Berlin said,
adding it would not rule out legal action
against SdK.
German financial watchdog BaFin
was not immediately available for comment yesterday. Berliner Zeitung quoted
a BaFin spokeswoman as saying German
public limited companies had until the
end of April to publish their financial
results for the previous year. — Reuters

HONG KONG: China Southern Airlines, the country’s biggest airline by fleet size, said net profit for
2013 fell more than 20 percent, the latest Chinese
carrier to be hit by a weak economy and stiff competition. Net profit was 1.99 billion yuan ($320 million), down 24.2 percent from the previous year’s
2.62 billion yuan, with revenue also one percent
lower at 98.55 billion yuan, it said in a statement
filed late Friday to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
The Guangzhou-based airline is one of the three
state-owned airlines hit by double-digit net profit
drops for 2013, with Air China seeing a 32 percent
fall, at 3.32 billion yuan, compared to 2012.
Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines also saw
2013 net profit slid by 25 percent to 2.38 billion
yuan compared to the previous year.
“In 2013, the overall global economy was still on
the basic trend of slow recovery, the risk of a deterioration of the economy was not completely
removed,” China Southern said in the statement.
Despite a higher demand for air travel in China,
other travel alternatives including express railways
and high oil prices contributed to lower profits for
the airline, it said. China’s aviation market will enter
“an era of full competition”, the airline said of 2014,
citing moves to open up the industry.
“Low-priced flights will become more popular,
and airlines with low-cost structure will have rapid
development,” it said, adding that there would be
less room for growth for the “traditional business
market”. Both China Eastern Airlines and Air China
cited similar challenges when they reported their
2013 net profit, saying intensified competition and
sluggish recovery in the world economy were to
blame for the drop in earnings. “The aviation industry will continue to face serious challenges such as
intensifying competition, dwindling resources, and
rising operating costs,” Air China said of 2014 in a
Tuesday statement. China Southern launched its
new Boeing 787 jets on daily flights between
Guangzhou and Vancouver last month The airline
reported a 19 percent decrease in net profits for the
first half of 2013 due to a slowdown in domestic
demand. —AFP

Industry hampering oil train safety: US govt
BILLINGS, Montana: US transportation officials
rebuked the oil industry Friday for not giving up
information regulators say they need to gauge
the danger of moving crude by rail, after several
accidents highlighted the explosive properties
of fuel from the booming oil shale fields on the
Northern Plains. Department of Transportation
officials told The Associated Press they have
received only limited data on the characteristics
of oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota
and Montana despite requests lodged by
Secretary Anthony Foxx more than two months
ago.
“The overall and ongoing lack of cooperation
is disappointing, slows progress and certainly
raises concerns,” the agency said in a statement.
“We still lack data we requested and that energy
stakeholders agreed to produce within 30 days.”
The DOT said “a handful of individual companies” have offered the information being sought
but would not provide specifics. Representatives
from the American Petroleum Institute refuted
the foot-dragging accusation. “We’d like to know
what information they’re not getting so we can
give it to them,” said API spokesman Eric
Wohlschlegel.
API president Jack Gerard said oil companies
have been encouraged by the group to share
what they know. He said there’s more data to
come, but added that API does not serve as an
industry “library” so it would come from multiple

sources.
There have been at least four major accidents
involving trains carrying crude from the Bakken
since production began to boom in 2008.
Among them was a derailment last July that
killed 47 people and torched a large section of
downtown Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
The combustibility of the crude in LacMegantic was comparable to gasoline, according to Canadian investigators. Other accidents
with explosions have occurred after derailments
of oil trains in Alabama, North Dakota and
Oklahoma.
The string of accidents led regulators to warn
emergency responders and the public in
January that Bakken oil - a light, sweet crude
that has high amounts of natural gases and other volatile compounds - could be more dangerous than many conventional crudes.
Some crudes from elsewhere in North
America and around the globe share similar
volatile properties. But the Bakken fuel is the
first to be moved in North America in modern
times in such massive quantities by rail. That’s
exposed a new set of safety concerns, including
a well-known defect in tens of thousands of rail
cars that leads them to rupture in accidents.
Mile-long oil trains can carry 3 million gallons
of crude per shipment. The number of carloads
delivered by major US railroads has surged
astronomically: from 9,344 delivered in 2008 to

434,000 carloads last year. The shipments are
delivered to refineries across the US and Canada,
including in the Pacific Northwest, California,
and the East and Gulf Coasts. Unlike most hazardous materials produced by chemical plants
or other manufacturing sources, crude oil is not
refined before being loaded onto trains. As a
result, its properties can vary greatly among
shipments. Three companies were hit with proposed penalties totaling $93,000 in February for
misclassifying oil from the Bakken as less dangerous. The North Dakota Petroleum Council on
Friday announced it has contracted with an
engineering consulting firm to study Bakken
crude oil in an attempt to resolve the federal
government’s concerns.
The council represents more than 500 companies operating in the Midwest and Rocky
Mountains. Spokeswoman Tessa Sandstrom said
oil samples will be collected for study from 18
locations across the Williston Basin of North
Dakota and Montana, which includes the
Bakken.
Through the petroleum institute, the industry also has pledged to work with the government to come up with new standards for testing
the oil to make sure it’s being handled properly
when loaded onto trains. That process is expected to take several more months, and will be driven in part by what’s learned regarding volatility.
Cynthia Quarterman, head of the

The photo provided by Surete du Quebec via the Canadian Press, shows wrecked oil
tankers and debris from a runaway train in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada. US transportation officials say the oil industry is not giving up needed information needed to gauge the
danger of moving crude by rail. — AP
But there were signs the government’s
Transportation Department’s Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Administration, testified patience was wearing thin in recent weeks. In a
before Congress as recently as late February that March 10 interview with The Associated Press,
the industry had been working closely and shar- Quarterman raised the prospect the governing information with regulators.
ment was ready to go it alone if necessary.— AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

BUSINESS

As China lists big businesses in
HK, investors query credentials
CITIC Pacific shares fall amid asset deal skepticism
HONG KONG: China’s move to list one of its biggest
state-run conglomerates in Hong Kong has left some
investors questioning whether Beijing’s choice is
about improving corporate management and welcoming foreign investors or cementing its own control. CITIC Group Corp, China’s state-run flagship
investment company, is to transfer its main operating
assets to its majority-owned, Hong Kong-listed industrial conglomerate CITIC Pacific Ltd. The deal, valued
at $42 billion, comes just a few months after China’s
Communist Party promised to promote use of free
markets to bolster growth in the world’s secondbiggest economy.
The day after welcoming a deal that folds huge
assets from steel to property companies into their
firm, CITIC Pacific’s minority investors were more
sceptical, sending the stock lower. CITIC Pacific plans
to pay for the biggest injection of assets into a listed
company in Hong Kong’s history with an unspecified
combination of new shares for existing holders and
cash. Rather than relinquishing control, in the short
term CITIC Group could raise its stake in CITIC Pacific
from 57.51 percent to close to 90 percent, according
to Breakingviews calculations. While it’s unclear
whether or when CITIC Group might ultimately
reduce its holding, the transaction highlights the
complexities that China may face in convincing markets that it can successfully open up more stateowned assets to foreign investors.
“If you go to market with confusing messages, lack
of clarity about structures, you can often put a big
chunk of investors off side,” said Sydney-based Shane
Oliver, head of investment strategy at AMP Capital,

which manages $120 billion. “Then it’s much harder
to retain them,” said Oliver, whose fund has exposure
to Hong Kong and China shares. After rising more
than 13 percent on Thursday on the back of the deal
announcement, partly on short-covering, CITIC Pacific
shares slid to the bottom of the pack on Friday. The
stock was down 5 percent at 0801 GMT, making it the
worst performer in the benchmark Hang Seng Index,
up 1.1 percent.
As CITIC Pacific slipped, some investors also questioned whether the new assets it is receiving will
revive confidence in a company hammered in recent
years after miscalculating the huge cost of developing a mine in Western Australia. In October 2008, the
stock lost half its value in one day after sour bets on
the direction of the Australian dollar resulted in nearly
$2 billion of losses. “Early gains were driven by the
excitement of the deal, people have become more
down to the earth again as they need to see how well
the assets will be in future,” said Ben Kwong, chief
operating officer of regional brokerage KGI Asia.
Biggest conglomerate
In the deal, CITIC Group said it would transfer the
assets of its main operating arm, CITIC Ltd, to the
Hong Kong-listed company. CITIC Ltd made a net
profit of 34 billion yuan ($5.5 billion) net profit in
2013. It had a total equity of about 225 billion yuan
($36.2 billion) at the end of 2013, while its debt level
wasn’t disclosed in the Wednesday filing announcing
the deal. Its array of assets stretches from gold mining
in Central Asia, to oil in Kazakhstan and the Beijing
Guoan Football Club. The company also makes

hydropower equipment, owns China’s only platinum
import and export company and biggest manganese
ore miner, and overseas a small empire of office and
residential property spanning Shenzhen to Dalian.
About 79 percent of its 2013 profit came from the
financial sector, through stakes in companies like
China CITIC Bank Corp , according to estimates from
Jefferies analysts. While the deal means investors in
CITIC Pacific will get their first exposure to financial
services assets, China’s banks have struggled of late,
under the weight of mounting bad debt. “CITIC Pacific
will be a stronger company through a much enlarged
shareholders’ equity, broader range of businesses and
deeper managerial skills,” CITIC Pacific said. “These will
enhance its competitiveness and ability to capture
the economic growth opportunities in China.”
The company hasn’t indicated exactly how it will
finance the deal. In a statement on Thursday, credit
rating agency Moody’s said it “expects that CITIC
Pacific will fund the acquisition mainly by equity
through issuing new shares to CITIC Group.” Moody’s
placed its ratings on CITIC Pacific under review for an
upgrade, reflecting its expectation that “the proposed
acquisition will greatly increase CITIC Pacific’s scale
and enhance its credit profile.” Last November,
Moody’s had cut CITIC Pacific’s rating to Ba2, two
notches below investment grade, citing lingering
risks associated with its Sino Iron project.
SOE reforms
How the CITIC deal fares will be closely watched
by those looking for evidence that China can implement the reforms it says it wants to make. Last

November China’s Communist Party said the government was prepared to advance state-owned company restructuring and promote further use of markets
to bolster its economy as its slows after the blistering
growth of the last decade. Beijing also said it would
transform qualified government-owned conglomerates into state investment companies.
In one of the first developments, Sinopec, Asia’s
biggest oil refiner, said last month that it would sell
up to 30 percent of its marketing arm, which owns
more than 30,000 petrol stations, in a 300 billion
yuan ($48.31 billion) asset restructuring. The sale
may take place in the third quarter of this year,
company chairman Fu Chengyu said earlier week.
“It is absolutely essential that these SOEs get
restructured. They represent an incredibly inefficient part of the Chinese economy,” said Singaporebased Peter Elston, head of Asia Pacific Strategy and
Asset Allocation at Aberdeen Asset Management
Asia.
“What we seen so far really just the tip of what
needs to happen. It’s encouraging to see some
restructuring taking place, but an awful lot more
needs to happen, before we can have the confidence to increase investment into China,” he added.
Hong Kong remains the leading market for Chinarelated companies, which have raised more than
US$375 billion from equity share sales in the
enclave since 1993. “Hong Kong is always a ‘testing
ground’ for China’s reforms and has the ability to
help Chinese companies to extend their overseas
business,” KC Chan, Hong Kong’s acting financial
secretary, told Reuters. — Reuters

Active trading buoys KSE stocks
BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT
KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended
last week in the green zone. The Price Index
closed at 7,584.76 points, up by 0.36 percent
from the week before closing, the Weighted
Index increased by 2.81 percent after closing
at 486.69 points, whereas the KSX-15 Index
closed at 1,193.87 points up by 4.19 percent.
Furthermore, last week’s average daily
turnover increased by 4.37 percent, compared
to the preceding week, reaching KD 32.89 million, whereas trading volume average was
190.44 million shares, recording decrease of
23.04 percent.
Kuwait stock market indicators were able to
realize gain for the second consecutive week,
supported by the active purchasing and collection operations performed on many listed
stocks, headed by the leading and operational
stocks that continued to grow, and reflected
on the market indices, especially KSX-15,
which reached its highest closing level since its
inception in May 2012.
In addition, the stock market initiated last
week’s trading with mixed performance, as the
Price Index declined affected by the profit collection operations performed on the small-cap
stocks, which realized different gains in earlier
sessions, however, the Weighted Index and
KSX-15 Index were able to realize gains supported by the purchasing power that targeted
many blue-chip stocks, especially in Banking
sector. Moreover, the stock market witnessed
recovery in most of the traded stocks, which
positively impacted the Price Index, that was
able to compensate its earlier loss. Also, the
blue-chip stocks, headed by the Banking sector, continued to support the other two
indices among an improvement in the trading
activity, especially the value, where the three
indices ended the week in the green zone.
For the annual performance, the price
index ended last week recording 0.47 percent
annual profit compared to its closing in 2013,
while the weighted index increased by 7.47
percent, and the KSX-15 recorded 11.74 percent growth.
Sectors’ indices
Eight of KSE’s sectors ended last week in
the green zone, while the other four recorded
declines. The Banking sector headed the gainers list as its index grew by 3.61 percent to
end the week’s activity at 1,112.92 points. The
Consumer services sector was second on the
gainer’s list, which index increased by 2.82
percent, closing at 1,110.15 points, followed
by the Consumer Goods, as its index closed at
1,262.63 points at an increase of 0.91 percent.
The Financial Services was the least growing
sector as its index closed at 1,090.47 points

with a 0.23 percent increase.
On the other hand, the Insurance sector
headed the losers list as its index down by
1.36 percent to end the week’s activity at
1,128.38 points. Follow by Real Estate as its
index down by 1.19 percent to end the week’s
activity at 1,358.28 points. The
Telecommunications the least declining sec-

tor as its index closed at 865.10 points with a
0.37 percent decrease.
Sectors’ activity
The Financial Services sector dominated
total trade volume during last week with
347.73 million shares changing hands, representing 36.52 percent of the total market trad-

ing volume. The Real Estate sector was second
in terms of trading volume as the sector’s
traded shares were 29.61 percent of last
week’s total trading volume, with a total of
281.92 million shares.
On the other hand, the Banking sector’s
stocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 53.69 million or

32.65 percent of last week’s total market trading value. The Financial Services sector took
the second place as the sector’s last week
turnover was KD 35.98 million represented
21.88 percent of the total market trading value.
— Prepared by the Studies & Research
Department , Bayan Investment Co.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

BUSINESS

Kuwait investment sector drives real estate sales
NBK ECONOMIC REPORT
KUWAIT: Real estate data for February
show sales totaling KD 266 million, up
22 percent y/y. Although solid, sales
were likely negatively affected by the
short nature of the month of February,
including the National Day public holidays. After accounting for this, underlying performance may therefore have
been stronger. Sales growth in the residential and investment sectors
remained good, while the more unpredictable commercial sector saw negative growth y/y.
Sales in the residential sector
reached KD 137 million in February, a 32
percent y/y increase. Although there
was a 7 percent y/y decline in the number of transactions to 344, this was
more than offset by a rise in the average
transaction value. The latter increased
40 percent y/y to KD 399,000. It is worth
noting that despite strong year-on-year
increases, price levels have been
volatile over the past couple of months.
But - especially given the seasonal factors mentioned above - it is too soon to
conclude that the market is experiencing a sustained cooling off.
In terms of location, 32 percent of
transactions were in Mubarak Al-Kabeer
governorate, mostly plots in Abu
Fateera and Funaitees areas. Another 30
percent went to Al-Ahmedi gover-

norate. Sales of land plots - as opposed
to finished buildings - accounted for 60
percent of all residential transactions in
February.
Sales in the investment sector stood
at KD 120 million in February, up 29 percent y/y, but down 15 percent m/m. The
m/m decline in sales was driven by a
lower number of transactions - perhaps
attributable to seasonal effects. But
overall, interest in the sector continues

to hold up well. Sales levels remain solid
from a historical perspective and average price levels per m2 have recovered
strongly after a dip in Q4 last year. The
sector has long been viewed as a viable
alternative to the stock market for
investing.
Whole buildings made up more than
half of all transactions in the investment
sector - the majority in Mahbola.
Individual apartments came in second,

accounting for 35 percent of transactions, followed by plots with a 13 percent share.
Sales in the commercial sector
dropped 60 percent to KD 8.4 million in
February, from KD 21 million a year earlier. Just three transactions were recorded in the sector with one complex in
Hawalli selling for KD 4.8 million. Sales
in this sector are often uneven monthto-month. While 2013 was an excep-

tional year for the sector, part of this
may have come from purchases by government-held portfolios.
Away from sales, Kuwait Credit Bank
approved KD 23 million in loans in
February, down 5 percent from a year
earlier. The past year has nevertheless
been a very active year for the bank.
The slowdown in the past couple of
months could be linked to a slowdown
in the distribution of government plots.

Stakes are high for Cuba
foreign investment law
Forex shortfall seen major hurdle in growth

LISBON: Two girls chat on the doorstep of a launderette as protestors march by during a demonstration Friday in Lisbon. The demonstration against the government’s
austerity measures was called by the youth section of Portugal’s main workers union
CGTP, General Confederation of Portuguese Workers. —AP

India’s external debts
stood at $426bn in 2013
NEW DELHI: India’s external debt stood at
$426.0 billion at the end of December
2013, registering an increase of $21.1 billion, a statistical report compiled by India’s
Finance ministry stated yesterday.
“At end-December 2013, India’s total
external debt stock stood at $426.0 billion,
recording an increase of $21.1 billion which
is an increase of 5.2 per cent,” the report
stated. The report stated that rise in external debt during the period was due to
long-term debt particularly Non Resident
Indian (NRI) deposits. The long-term debt
stood at $333.3 billion at end-December
2013, showing an increase of 8.1 per cent
over the end-March 2013 level, while short-

term debt decreased by 4.1 per cent to
$92.7 billion, the report stated. “Short-term
debt accounted for 21.8 per cent of India’s
total external debt, while the remaining
(78.2 per cent) was long-term debt.
Component-wise, commercial borrowings
accounted for 31.5 per cent of the total
external debt, followed by NRI deposits
(23.2 per cent) and multilateral debt (12.3
per cent), “ it added.
The report stated that Government’s
(Sovereign) external debt stood at USD
76.4 billion, (17.9 per cent of total external
debt) at end-December 2013 as against
$81.7 billion (20.2 per cent) at end-March
2013. —KUNA

Duke Energy seeks to keep
records from regulators
CHARLOTTE, NC: Worried about getting a
fair shake from investigators, Duke Energy is
asking a judge to shield its records from
North Carolina regulators and environmental
groups while a federal criminal probe is
ongoing. In a court motion, a defense lawyer
for Duke argued that turning over records
demanded as part of state lawsuits over the
company’s coal ash dumps could hurt the
investigation’s integrity, especially if the documents were to become public.
Federal prosecutors have issued at least 23
subpoenas as part of a widening criminal
probe triggered by the Feb 2 spill at Duke’s
plant in Eden, which coated 70 miles of the
Dan River in toxic sludge. Duke has received
two of the subpoenas, which order the company to provide reams of documents to a
grand jury that has convened in Raleigh.
Federal investigators are looking at
whether the company received preferential
treatment from the state environmental
agency. Duke has nearly three dozen other
ash pits spread out at 14 coal fired power
plants across the state. “Duke Energy strongly
denies that it has in any way knowingly violated any law or committed any crime,” says
the company’s motion, filed last week. “The
government of the United States has the right
to investigate the matters involved in these
cases and Duke Energy intends to cooperate
fully in that investigation so that it may
receive a fair and unbiased assessment of its
actions. This cannot occur if the proceedings
of the grand jury and material provided to it
are made a part of discovery in these cases.”
Duke spokesman Tom Williams said Friday
that the motion speaks for itself. The state
court cases at issue deal with environmental
violations at Duke plants near Charlotte and
Asheville.
Working on the behalf of a coalition of citizens groups, the Southern Environmental
Law Center tried to use the US Clean Water
Act to sue Duke last year in federal court over
groundwater pollution leeching from its coal

ash dumps. The state Department of
Environment and Natural Resources instead
used its authority to issue violations and take
the case to state court, quickly negotiating a
settlement that would have fined Duke
$99,111 with no requirement that the $50 billion company clean up its pollution. The citizens groups protested, calling it a “sweetheart
deal” intended to protect Duke from possibly
harsher federal penalties. The agency asked a
judge to dismiss that agreement last week,
saying it now intends to move forward in
court. The citizens groups have intervened in
the case, meaning they will have access to
documents Duke would provide.
In its motion, Duke said it wants to keep
the records under wraps to “preserve the
integrity” of the federal grand jury investigation. “Absent such a limitation, grand jury
materials could be produced to parties or
entities that are not entitled to such materials,” adding that documents could be “publicized and disseminated through the media.” If
that happened, the company’s lawyers claim
“the ability of Duke Energy to receive a fair
and unbiased investigation into its action
would be irrevocably compromised.”
Frank Holleman, senior staff attorney with
the environmental law group, said Duke’s
motion is a stalling tactic. “They are using the
fact that they are caught up in a federal criminal investigation related to their coal ash storage as an excuse to try to postpone the
enforcement of the law against them,” he
said. “It’s exactly backward from how you
think the law would operate.”
State environmental agency spokesman
Jamie Kritzer said he couldn’t comment on
the investigation. In the last month, state regulators have issued nine environmental violations against Duke because of the spill and
issues at other plants. The latest was Friday
for a crack in a dam at a coal ash dump in
Moncure, where regulators say Duke illegally
pumped 61 million gallons of contaminated
water into the Cape Fear River.—AP

HAVANA: Cuban authorities are on the verge of
enacting a new foreign investment law considered one of the most vital building blocks of
President Raul Castro’s effort to reform the country’s struggling economy. The law was considered so important that an extraordinary session
of parliament had been scheduled for yesterday
so the matter doesn’t wait several months until
the regular summer session.
Foreign investment in the Communist-run
country has lagged behind expectations in
recent years, and the shortfall is seen as a major
reason for disappointing economic growth.
Analysts say that officials must show they are
truly committed to easing the way for foreign
firms if this latest attempt to lure overseas capital is to succeed.
“It’s really about (creating) a business climate
in which business feels government at senior
levels has an unambiguously favorable attitude
toward foreign investors,” said Richard Feinberg,
a professor of international political economy at
the University of California, San Diego. “That’s
the best guarantee.”
“If this law gives the right signals,” Feinberg
said, “it would be a major step forward in the
economic reforms.” Cuba isn’t the easiest place
for a foreign businessperson to make a buck.
Labor taxes are high, there is no open bidding for projects, the approval process is opaque
and cumbersome and the government has been
reluctant to let outsiders have majority ownership.
Companies often find themselves negotiating multimillion-dollar deals with government
officials who earn tiny salaries, and some say
payoffs are an unfortunate part of doing business in Cuba. At the same time, a crackdown on
graft in recent years, including the jailing of
Canadian, Chilean, Czech, English and French citizens, has sent a chill through the foreign business community. Then there’s the 52-year-old US
embargo, which bars most American trade with
the island and effectively obliges many foreign
companies to choose between doing business
with Cuba or the United States.
There’s no sign the embargo will be lifted
anytime soon, but observers say Cuba can make
itself more attractive to investors by doing
things like making approvals more transparent,
easing payroll taxes, enabling direct hiring of
local employees and relaxing rules that require
foreign companies to purchase a certain amount
of local inputs.
Few concrete details have been made public,
but this week official media gave some hints of
what the draft law looks like. The newspaper
Juventud Rebelde said the law will allow foreign
participation in “all sectors” except health and

MARIEL: Workers landscape the area near a new port under construction in Mariel, Cuba.
Cuban authorities are on the verge of enacting a new foreign investment law considered one
of the most vital building blocks of President Raul Castro’s effort to reform the country’s struggling economy. —AP
education. Cuba will permit foreign investment
not only through joint partnerships with
the government, but also by “international
economic association contract, or business of
completely foreign capital.” Juventud Rebelde
said most companies would be taxed at 15 percent of profits, half what they pay under current
rules, and will be exempt from paying for the
first eight years of operation. Investors apparently will not see their personal income taxed.
Duties may be higher for operations that
exploit natural resources, such as nickel and fossil fuels.
Such rules would be similar to slightly more
favorable ones already in place for a special economic development zone at Mariel, a massive
port project west of Havana that was formally
inaugurated in January.
Officials are also talking of guarantees that
the property of foreign companies and individuals will not be nationalized as happened after
the 1959 Cuban Revolution, except in cases of
national interest and only with due compensation.
In a recent report prepared for the online
publication Cuba Standard, which closely follows Cuban business news, former Cuban
Central Bank economist Pavel Vidal noted that

foreign investment has remained flat since
Castro’s economic reforms began, about 20 percent below forecast on average. GDP grew just
2.7 percent last year, low for a developing nation
and again short of expectations.
Meanwhile, Cuba’s financial present is heavily
dependent on the billions of dollars in oil it gets
from petro-ally Venezuela. The socialist-run
South American nation is experiencing its own
economic woes these days, rocked for months
by violent protests amid calls by some in the
opposition for President Nicolas Maduro to
resign.
Vidal said the new law could help stimulate
investment by limiting government officials’ discretion in decision-making on approvals, ending
a longstanding tendency to green-light only
large scale investment and allowing investment
in Cuba’s emerging privately owned businesses
and independent cooperatives. “The new foreign
investment law is the last opportunity for the
reform to come close to the growth goals
planned through 2016,” wrote Vidal, who is currently a professor at Javeriana University in Cali,
Colombia. “At the same time, it will help diversify
the island’s international relations, as well as
reduce vulnerability due to its links with
Venezuela.” — AP

Biden calls for hike
in US minimum wage

S&P downgrades Target to
‘A’ following q4 results

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden yesterday called for
Americans to back President Barack Obama’s push to raise the federal minimum wage, intensifying debate ahead of mid-term congressional elections in November. Obama unveiled a proposal to
increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 (7.35
euros) an hour in his State of the Union address in January as he set
about closing income disparity-an increasingly important theme in
US politics.
But rival Republicans have long argued that raising the minimum wage would hurt the economy and employment because it
would prompt small businesses to tighten belts and lay off some
workers. “There’s no reason in the world why an American working
40 hours a week has to live in poverty,” Biden said in a weekly
address in place of Obama, who is in Saudi Arabia. “But right now a
worker earning the federal minimum wage makes about $14,500 a
year. And you all know that’s incredibly hard for an individual to live
on, let alone raise a family on. “But if we raise the minimum wage to
$10.10 an hour, that same worker will be making $20,200 a yearand with existing tax credits would earn enough to bring that family or a family of four out of poverty. “Not only would it put more
hard-earned money into the pockets of 28 million Americans, moving millions of them out of poverty, it’s also good for business.”
In January, Obama urged Congress to raise the federal minimum
wage. A congressional watchdog says that it could lift 900,000 people above the poverty line but may cost half a million jobs. — AFP

NEW YORK: Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its rating on Target Corp
following weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter results that were dragged down
by a massive data breach and a disappointing foray into Canada. The rating
agency said Friday that it lowered its ratings one notch down to “A” from “A+.” The
rating is still four grades above speculative or junk status. S&P says the outlook is
still “Stable,” implying further changes are not imminent.
“The downgrade reflects our expectations for limited recovery of credit metrics
given continued operating losses at the Canadian division as well as potential
costs related to the data breach,” said S&P’s credit analyst Ana Lai. The move
comes more than a month after the nation’s second-largest discounter reported
its fourth-quarter profit fell 46 percent on a revenue decline of 5.3 percent as the
breach scared off customers worried about the safety of their personal data.
Target expects business to be muted for some time: It issued a profit outlook for
the current quarter and full year that missed Wall Street estimates because it faces
hefty costs related to the breach. S&P noted that it expected that the breach will
have a “somewhat lingering effect on customer traffic at least through the first
half of fiscal 2014, but this should moderate over time.” It said that while the costs
related to the breach are difficult to forecast, it believes these expenses could be
“significant but manageable given Target’s good cash flow generation.”
The ratings agency expects that Target’s performance at its Canadian stores
should improve this year as the retailer ramps up the new stores and resolves its
out-of-stock issues. Last year, Target made its first foray outside the US in Canada
with 124 stores, but sales were below expectations and it reported a hefty loss for
the division in the first year. Target’s shares were unchanged at $59.98 in afterhours trading Friday after rising 24 cents in regular trading. The stock is down
about 12 percent in the past 12 months. — AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

BUSINESS

The Kuwait summit and its impact
KUWAIT: In one year, four summits were held in Kuwait.
Prior to any summit, any observer knows in advance the
content of its final communique. It ends with a set of financial commitments, a number of agreements that are never
implemented, and a long rhetorical preamble that commends the host country and guests, as well and enumerates
the painstaking effort in achieving achievements on paper.
In last week’s conference in Kuwait, the final statement listed all the foregoing and reiterated what was mentioned in
the previous summits, such as the emphasis of the centrality
of the Palestinian Cause, the support to states bordering
with Israel, the Arab identify of the UAE islands and one of
the Comoros islands, and the assertion that all this could
not have been accomplished without the tireless efforts and
sincere cooperation among the leaders. All of that is irrelevant to reality.
Eventually, the Arab situation at large is no different from
that in the Gulf. A month before the December 2013 GCC
Summit, there was debate about the probability of political
unity among its member states. Two months later, things
ended with three GCC members withdrawing their ambassadors from a fourth member state.
The media, which advocates unity, changed into one
declaring war.
What is happening is wrong. Kuwait has its deep problems which require its officials to dedicate their full time to
remedy them first. Still, there are others who believe that
holding summits even without benefit is viewed as achievement and gain for Kuwait. While these summits are a fertile
ground for corruption and corruptors in Kuwait, people in
Kuwait suffer from security measures and traffic paralysis
and sometimes disruption of business, so much so that
many of them think of fleeing the country during these
summits. That is another cost. The right of hospitality dictates that Kuwait takes the initiative to provide grants and
loans to governments that are corrupt in most cases, which
is a commitment and additional cost without return, and
sometimes negative returns. In fact, these costs and efforts
are increasingly spent without impact. With each conference, representation is downgraded until it becomes meaningless. Some of the leaders attend only the opening session out of courtesy; not only this, but conditions are
imposed on what to discuss and what not to, to the extent
that anything valuable and meaningful is excluded, such
as the inter-Arab conflicts or the GCC conflicts which were
excluded from the agenda of this last Summit. Nevertheless,
the title of the 25th Arab summit remained: “The Solidarity
Summit for the Future,” which is inconsistent with reality.
We reiterate that all previous summits, whether eco-

AL-SHALL WEEKLY ECONOMIC REPORT
nomic, Arab-African, GCC and the Arab achieved nothing
significant. In fact, conditions thereafter became worse. The
recent Summit statement and its results are no exception.
And if Kuwait believes it is able to play this big role, it is supposed to provide a successful model to address its problems
first, but it has not. It should stop this obsession with holding conferences to reduce costs, close one corruption channel, and save people the hassle.
The Ukrainian crisis and the Gulf crisis
Russia has achieved most of the short-term goals in
Ukraine crisis and the West was miserably unable to stop
the accelerated annexation of Crimea to Russia. The crisis
created concern from Russia’s repetition of cutting off all
border provinces populated by a Russian majority from the
remains of the Soviet Union, not only in Ukraine but in all
other countries, such as Moldova in the future and previously in Georgia. G7 leaders met after excluded Russia in a symbolic motion, and discussed possibilities of an economic
reaction. In the short term at least, however, they are aware
of the fragile European economy and they know that
Europe depends by almost 40 percent on Russian oil and
gas. The size of trade with Russia is led by Germany, the
leader and the treasury of the euro zone, followed by Italy.
The trade exchange of the two countries alone with Russia
is worth some $130 billion. There are Western companies in
Russia and Russian funds in bonds and deposits in Western
banks. Despite the threat of the G7 Summit and the Western
leaders, they know that the efficacy of their measures in the
short-term is not significant and its maximum goal is to mitigate damage. But they also know that in the medium to
long terms, they will deal a severe blow to Russia’s political
ambition and will seriously influence its economy and cause
it great damage. Therefore, it is expected during these two
terms that Russia will have reduced flow of direct investments and a substantial reduction in the mutual trade
dependence, especially in energy. And reduced political
support, direct and indirect, to president Putin’s opponents,
both provinces and individuals.
In the GCC crisis, it started from the end by three countries withdrawing their ambassadors from a fourth country
in the same cooperation organization. Western countries
did not act like this with Russia, neither did the GCC countries with Syria. GCC economies are global and sell all their
commodities-oil and gas-to the world beyond their region

and import their needs from there. Their regional trade
forms no more than 5.4 percent of their total trade. No intergovernment investments are among them, no labor transfer, no economic pact among themselves like the customs
union, or the common market or the unified currency. All of
them own sovereign wealth funds estimated at about $2
trillion; all have marine outlets, all own advanced aviation
fleets, all of them can survive, as long as oil and gas are sold,
without real need for any of the neighbors.
In the GCC conflict, the wrath appears to be big but
without any cards in the hands of one party to translate this
fury to a penalty against the other party. Therefore, the dose
of emotions may increase, fueled by directed media, without translating that anger to a material that can put an end
to the conflict and disagreement. This will be very detrimental to the credibility of the GCC as an organization.
Between the West and Russia there is a measurement
tool, namely, the interests of the people, which may check
and curtail the probable extent of damage. But in the case
of GCC countries, afflicting a tangible mutual harm is not
only impossible, but also because people have nothing to
do with what is happening. They, after all, were not invited
to the weddings of the GCC organization; neither are they a
party in its anger and political wars. Thus, it is difficult to
predict the outcome of the dispute, for it could end tomorrow or it could beyond the foreseeable future.
KFH financial results FY 2013
Kuwait Finance House (KFH) announced results of its
financial operations for the ending 31 December, 2013
which indicate the bank achieved net profits -after deducting due taxation- scored KD 149.1 million, a rise by KD 25.7
million, or 20.9 percent, (KD 123.3 million in 2012). When we
discount the non-controlling interests, the profit for the
shareholders scored KD 115.9 million (KD 87.7 million in
2012), a 32.2 percent rise, what equals KD 28.2 million. The
main reason for this rise is the increase in operation
incomes by a value higher than the rise in total expenditures.
In details, operational incomes increased by KD 67.4 million to KD 996.2 million, (KD 928.8 million in 2012) as a
result of the increase in the item of investment incomes by
KD 17.1 million, to KD 246.4 million (KD 229.3 million in
2012) due to the rise in profits from selling properties by
KD 42.9 million to KD 131.6 million (KD 88.7 million in 2012).
Similarly, item of a share in the results of associate companies and joint ventures increased by KD 9.3 million to KD
10.9 million (KD 1.6 million in 2012). Item of fees and commissions incomes rose by KD 7 million to KD 79.7 million
(KD 72.7 million in 2012). But item of financing income
retreated by about KD 2.2 million to KD 571.4 million (KD
573.5 million in 2012).
On the other hand, total operational expenses and estimated distribution to depositors increased by KD 66.6 million, but lower than the rise in total operational revenues,
i.e. from KD 617.5 million in 2012 to KD 550.9 million now.

The item of distributions estimated to depositors increased
by KD 874 thousand, 0.5 percent, to KD 172 million (KD
171.1 million in 2012). Item of staff costs rose by KD 34.7
million, 25.8 percent, to KD 169.3 million (KD 134.6 million
in 2012). Likewise, item of general and administrative
expenses increased by 25.1 percent, to KD 139.3 million (KD
111.3 million in 2012). Item of financing cost increased by
KD 3.9 million to KD 63 million (KD 59.1 million in 2012). The
item of impairment for lower value dropped by KD 27.5 million, 11 percent, to KD 223.8 million (KD 251.4 million in
2012). Consequently, net profit margin to the total income
increased to 26.1 percent (21.5 percent in 2012).
KFH total assets increased by KD 1.436 billion, 9.8 percent, to KD 16.140 billion (KD 14.703 billion in 2012). Item
of short term murabahat increased by KD 1.246 billion,
105.1 percent, to KD 2.432 billion (15.1 percent of total
assets) versus KD 1.186 billion in 2012 (8.1 percent of total
assets). Item of cash and balances with banks and financial
institutions increased by KD 256.2 million and scored KD
1.070 billion (6.6 percent of total assets) versus KD 814.3
million in the end of 2012 (5.5 percent of total assets), as a
result of the rise in the item of current accounts at banks
and financial institutions by KD 192.3 million to KD 384.3
million (KD 192 million in 2012). Item of receivable value
dropped by KD 152.6 million, 2.3 percent, to KD 6.500 billion, or 40.3 percent of total assets, compared to KD 6.653
billion in the end of 2012 (45.2 percent of total assets).
Figures indicate that the bank liabilities (non-equities)
increased by KD 952.3 million, 7.7 percent, to KD 13.335
billion (KD 12.383 billion in the end of 2012). Item of
depositor’s accounts increased to KD 10.104 billion, (75.8
percent of total liabilities excluding equities), 7.6 percent
increase, equal to KD 711.3 million (KD 9.393 billion in
2012), equal to (75.9 percent of total liabilities excluding
equities).
Results of analyzing financial statements indicate that
all KFH profitability indexes increased. Average return on
equities relevant to the bank shareholder index (ROE) rose
to 7.6 percent (6.7 percent in 2012). Average return on
assets index (ROA) increased slightly to 1 percent (0.9 percent in 2012). Average return on the bank capital index
(ROC) also increased to 44.2 percent (44.1 percent in 2012).
KFH management announced intentions to distribute
cash profits by 13 percent of the per share par value,13 fils
per share, and 13 percent bonus shares compared with 10
percent cash and 10 percent bonus shares in 2012. The
cash yield per share scored 1.6 percent on the closing
price recorded on 31/12/2013 which is 800 fils per share
(1.2 percent on the closing price recorded on 31/12/2012)
in the amount of 810 fils per share.
Weekly performance of KSE
The performance of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) for the
last week was mixed, where the traded value index and the
general index showed an increase. While the traded volume
index and the number of transactions index showed a
decreased, AlShall Index (value weighted) closed at 497.2
points at the closing of last Thursday, showing an increase
of 18.7 points or about 3.9 percent compared to the end of
the previous week, and an increase of 42.5 points or about
9.3 percent compared to the end of 2013.

Peugeot (Al-Shaya & Al-Sagar) hosts exciting test drive event
KUWAIT: Kuwait Automotive Imports Co WLL (Al-Shaya & AlSagar), the authorized distributor for Peugeot vehicles in
Kuwait since 1969, held Alshaya & Alsagar Carnival - an exclusive test drive event at Marina Crescent on 21 Mar.
The carnival marked the 78th anniversary of Kuwait
Automotive Imports Co WLL (Al-Shaya & Al-Sagar). At the fullday event, a range of flagship models of Peugeot cars were displayed and prospects had the chance to register, test drive any
preferred model and enter a fabulous raffle draw on Alshaya
Cards worth total KD 500. Apart from the chance to win
Alshaya Card, all test drivers received valuable gifts.
From early morning till the late hours of the evening the
crowd was entertained by DJ, MC and break dancers. “The
test drive event included the most popular models of
Peugeot cars”, mentioned Mr Ashish Tandon, General
Manager of Al-Shaya & Al-Sagar. “The test drivers had the
opportunity for “Motion & Emotion” experience with each of
our models and see for themselves how unique and outstanding each model is.”
The models available for test drive at the event included
the recently launched sedan Peugeot 408 and the exciting
sports coupe RCZ. Peugeot sales consultants were available
to give visitors detailed information about each vehicle and
the latest offers. Peugeot currently offers Highest Trade-in
and 5 years Warranty, unlimited mileage on its range of passenger vehicles.

With history of 200 years Peugeot is renowned for its
expertise in making cars. Peugeot saloons are considered
benchmarks in terms of road handling and engine technology.
Throughout its history Peugeot has many successes in international rallies. Recently PEUGEOT has chosen Novak Djokovic, a

worldwide tennis icon, as its international ambassador.
KAICO (Al-Shaya & Al-Sagar) was established in 1936 and is
jointly owned by Al-Shaya and Al-Sagar families with 78 years
of collective automotive experience in marketing, sales, parts
and service and has integrated all its operations to maximize

market penetration. KAICO is also the exclusive distributor in
Kuwait for numerous other automotive brands including
Mazda, Geely, Michelin, Mobil, BF Goodrich, Eicher, Baw.
KAICO’s business activities also cover a leasing and tender division and Used Cars.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

technology

Microsoft’s Office apps for iPad ushers in new era
SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft has
released an iPad version of its popular
Office software suite, a breakthrough
heralding a new era under a CEO who
promises to focus more on the devices
that people are using instead of trying to
protect the company ’s lucrative
Windows franchise. Thursday’s unveiling
of the much-anticipated iPad apps for
Microsoft’s bundle of word processing,
spreadsheet and presentation software
comes nearly four years after Apple Inc.
released the tablet computer that has
contributed to a steady decline in sales
of desktop and laptop machines running
on the Windows operating system.
Microsoft’s decision to relent to persistent demands to make its top-selling
software application available on the
world’s most popular tablet comes seven weeks after the Redmond, Wash.,
company anointed Sayta Nadella as its
CEO after being led for 14 years by Steve
Ballmer. The change in command gives
Microsoft Corp an opportunity to prove
it’s a more nimble company adapting to
evolution of computing instead of clinging to its old ways.
Nadella, who has been working at
Microsoft for 22 years, emphasized that
he felt rejuvenated since taking over as
CEO. “You see things from a fresh set of
eyes and fresh perspective,” Nadella told
a crowd of reporters gathered in San
Francisco for his first major public
appearance as CEO. Investors seem to
have liked what they have seen so far.

Microsoft’s stock slipped 43 cents to
close Thursday at $39.36, but the shares
are still up by 8 percent since Nadella
took over. The stock lost about one-third
of its value under Ballmer’s reign.
The Office app for the iPad represents
a major step in the right direction for
Microsoft, said FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives. “They finally looked in
the mirror and realized they needed to
go with the crowd in terms of iPads,” Ives
said. Like several other analysts, Ives
thinks the Office app for the iPad could
generate an additional $1 billion in revenue for Microsoft. Although the Office
app is free to anyone who wants to read
Office’s Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs on the iPad, it will require a subscription to Microsoft’s Office 365 to create and edit documents on the device.
The Office 365 subscriptions cost $70 or
$100 annually, with the lower price placing more restrictions on the number and
types of devices that can be used.
The Office 365 subscriptions also
have been required to use Office apps
built for the iPhone and Android phones
last summer, so many iPad owners many
already have one. But millions of other
people with iPads probably haven’t had
a reason to buy an Office 365 until
Thursday. Nearly 200 million iPads had
been sold through the end of 2013,
meaning about 5 percent of those
device owners would have to pay for a
$100 annual subscription to generate an
additional $1 billion in revenue.

Microsoft hasn’t said how many Office
365 subscribers it already has, but
Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund estimates
the number at anywhere between 14
million to 24 million. He estimates that
the annual subscription revenue is running at about $2.5 billion. Office has
long been one of Microsoft’s gold mines.
In the company’s last fiscal year ended
June 30, the business division that is
anchored by Office posted an operating
profit of $16.2 billion on revenue of
$24.7 billion.
The availability of an Office app also
could encourage more people to buy an
iPad. That, in turn, could siphon more
sales away from laptops running on
Windows, which also generates billions
in licensing fees for Microsoft each year.
This year, Gartner Inc. expects 271 million tablets to be sold, including those
running on Windows and Android, versus a total of 277 million desktop and
laptop computers. By the end of 2015,
tablets should be outselling PCs by a
wide margin, Gartner said. Microsoft
hasn’t made Office apps for Android
tablets yet, though the company has
previously said those will be coming.
Last year, Office apps for Android
phones came out a month after the
iPhone versions debuted. “We are taking
great focus and great care that Office on
every device shines through,” Nadella
said. That marks a change in sentiment
for Microsoft. Even as it became clear
iPad was reshaping computing, Ballmer

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft General Manager Julia White gestures while talking
about the Office 365 app during a press briefing in San Francisco. —AP
steadfastly resisted making an Office
app for the device. He had been hoping
that most of the 1 billion worldwide
Office users would decide to buy
Windows tablets instead of the iPad, but
there was little evidence that was happening in significant numbers. Sales of
Microsoft’s own Windows tablet, Surface,
turned out to be a huge letdown.
The Office app for the iPad has so
many features designed for the device
that Microsoft clearly was working on its

design while Ballmer was still CEO, said
Forrester Research analyst Rob
Koplowitz. But it didn’t hit the market
until Nadella took over and that could
signal a “sea change,” Koplowitz said. “I
am hoping we are seeing something different in terms of how Microsoft operates as a company.” Nadella promised to
show off more pieces of his “innovation
agenda” for Windows next week at a
software developers conference in San
Francisco.—AP

Zuckerberg on
spending spree
Visionary or looney?
NEW YORK: Facebook’s latest multibillion
dollar acquisition of virtual reality headset
maker Oculus is prompting some people to
wonder if CEO Mark Zuckerberg is already
living in an alternate reality. Longtime technology analyst Roger Kay wonders whether
Zuckerberg “is nuts” for agreeing to pay $2
billion for Oculus less than five weeks after
inking a deal to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion. Oculus, which got its start on the
crowdfunding site Kickstarter, doesn’t have
a consumer product on the market, just the
promise of bulky virtual reality goggles that
have generated huge buzz in the video
gaming community. Zuckerberg, for his
part, sees long-term implications in the
technology, for communication, entertainment and beyond. He was right about
mobile, and he’s created the world’s biggest
online social network.
Looney or visionary?
“Mobile is the platform of today and now
we’re starting to also get ready for the platforms of tomorrow. To me, by far the most
exciting future platform is around vision or
modifying what you see to create augmented and immersive experiences,” Zuckerberg
said on a conference call Tuesday discussing
the deal. “Today’s acquisition is a long-term
bet on the future of computing. I believe
Oculus can be one of the platforms of this
future.” Facebook’s investors seem to think
Oculus’s promise is too far off. The Menlo
Park, Calif.-based social networking company’s stock fell 7 percent on Wednesday to
close at $60.38.
Beyond sticker shock, the WhatsApp and
Oculus deals - along with the Facebook’s
spurned offer to buy SnapChat for $3 billion- have raised questions about
Facebook’s ability to innovate on its own.
Some of the company’s most high-profile
products, such as the SnapChat-like Poke,
the messaging service Facebook Messenger
and Home, have flopped. The jury’s still out
on Paper, a stand-alone app that lets users
read news, Facebook feeds and more.
“Facebook I don’t think has the best innovation strategy,” says Gartner analyst Brian
Blau. “So far it’s been ‘move fast and break
things.’ Move fast is good, but break thinks,
may not be.”
Blau calls the Oculus acquisition “kind of
out of left field.” “We have always thought
about experience as a focus of virtual reality,” he says. “Certainly it can be social, but
we have not thought about it as a core
social experience.” That’s not to say it can’t
work. There were questions about
Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram back
when it offered $1 billion for the photosharing app (the final purchase price was
$715 million) in April 2012 -and Instagram

“turned out fine,��� Blau points out. Facebook
said Tuesday that Instagram has 200 million
users, up from 30 million at the time it
agreed to buy the company.
As the former CEO and co-founder of
MySpace, Chris DeWolfe has learned the
hard way that Zuckerberg knows what he is
doing. MySpace once reigned as the
Internet’s largest social network only to be
eclipsed by Facebook as Zuckerberg constantly tweaked the service and added
more compelling features. Now, DeWolfe
runs a mobile game company called SGN
and has been impressed by Facebook’s ability to target smartphone ads at the people
most likely to be attracted to SGN’s pastimes, which include “Cookie Jam” and
“Bingo Blingo.”
Although he has no idea what
Zuckerberg will do with Oculus, DeWolfe
figures Facebook’s $154 billion market value
gave him the flexibility to wager on a technology that could break new ground. “Given
Facebook’s size, this deal doesn’t seem that
weird to me,” DeWolfe said. Oculus is a horizontal acquisition for Facebook, which
means it lets the company expand into a
new space, rather than grow its core business. It’s a strategy employed by
Amazon.com Inc., whose businesses range
from online retail to video streaming to
tablets, and Google Inc., which recently
bought high-tech thermostat and smokedetector maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion.
Like Facebook, Google is led by a CEO,
Larry Page, who has vowed to make huge
investments building or buying technology
that might not pay off for years. Page can
do pretty much as he pleases, too, as long
as he gains the support of fellow cofounder Sergey Brin and Google Executive
Chairman Eric Schmidt. The trio collectively
controls enough votes to overrule the rest
of Google’s shareholders. Google has made
more than 230 acquisitions since going
public nearly a decade ago, but most of
those deals have been relatively small for a
company that now generates more than
$50 billion in annual revenue. A few of the
deals have been large enough for some
investors to wonder whether Google’s brain
trust had lost its senses. When Google
bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.76 billion in
stock, some analysts questioned whether
the company had paid far too much for a
video site with virtually no revenue and a
huge stack of potentially expensive legal
claims for copyright infringement. But that
deal is now widely viewed as a brilliant
move. YouTube has productive relationships
with most movie and television studios and
sells billions of dollars in video advertising
while amassing a worldwide audience of
more than 1 billion people.—AP

CHICAGO: A smartphone app for recovering
alcoholics that includes a panic button and
sounds an alert when they get too close to taverns helped keep some on the wagon,
researchers who developed the tool found. The
sober app studied joins a host of others that
serve as electronic shoulder angels, featuring a
variety of options for trying to prevent alcoholics
and drug addicts from relapsing. Adults released
from in-patient alcoholism treatment centers
who got free sober smartphones reported fewer
drinking days and more overall abstinence than
those who got the usual follow-up support.
The results were based on patients’ selfreporting on whether they resumed drinking, a
potential limitation. Still, addiction experts say
the immediacy of smartphone-based help could
make them a useful tool in fighting relapse. Mark
Wiitala, 32, took part in the study and says the
app helped save his life. He said the most helpful
feature allowed him to connect to a network of
peers who’d gone through the same recovery
program. The app made them immediately
accessible for an encouraging text or phone call
when he needed an emotional boost. “It’s an
absolutely amazing tool,” said Wiitala, of
Middlesex County, Mass. He said he’s continued
to use it even though the study ended.
The study was published online Wednesday
in JAMA Psychiatry. It involved 271 adults followed for a year after in-patient treatment for
alcoholism at one of several US centers in the
Midwest and Northeast. They were randomly
assigned to get a sober smartphone app for
eight months plus usual follow-up treatment typically referral to a self-help group - or usual
follow-up alone. The app includes a feature asking periodic questions by text or voicemail
about how patients are doing. If enough
answers seem worrisome, the system automatically notifies a counselor who can then offer
help.
The panic button can be programmed to
notify peers who are nearest to the patient when
the button is pushed. It also offers links to relaxation techniques to calm the patient while wait-

ing for help. “We’ve been told that makes a big
difference,” said David Gustafson, the lead author
and director of the Center for Health

WISCONSIN: This screen grab shows the ACHESS app. The app, developed for recovering alcoholics, includes a panic button and
sounds an alert when they get too close to
taverns. — AP

Enhancement Systems Studies at the University
of Wisconsin in Madison. He’s among developers
of the app, nicknamed A-CHESS after the center.
Gustafson said it is being commercially developed and is not yet available.
Differences in abstinence from drinking
between the two groups didn’t show up until
late in the study. At eight months, 78 percent of
the smartphone users reported no drinking
within the previous 30 days, versus 67 percent of
the other patients. At 12 months, those numbers
increased slightly in the smartphone group and
decreased slightly in the others. Smartphone
patients also had fewer “risky” drinking days per
month than the others. The study average was
almost 11/2 days for the smartphone group versus almost three days for the others.
Risky drinking was defined as having more
than four drinks over two hours for men and
more than three drinks for women. One drink
was a 12-ounce bottle of beer, 5-ounce glass of
wine, or 1.5-ounce shot of liquor. The results for
smartphone users were comparable to what has
been seen with standard follow-up counseling
or anti-addiction medication, said Daniel Falk a
scientist-administrator at the National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which helped
pay for the study. He noted that alcohol abuse
affects about 18 million Americans and that only
about 25 percent who get treatment are able to
remain abstinent for at least a year afterward.
Scientists are looking at new ways to try to
improve those statistics. “There is increasing
excitement regarding technology-based tools in
substance use treatment, prevention and education,” said Dr. Gail Basch, director of the addiction
medicine program at Rush University Medical
Center in Chicago. Basch, who wasn’t involved in
the study, said proven methods for helping prevent relapse include patient monitoring and
support from family and peers. “A stand-alone
mobile app may not be the answer, but one can
see how it could fit in nicely,” she said. “A realtime tool, as well as reminders throughout the
day, could be very helpful for a recovering
brain.”— AP

Encryption companies rise;
anxiety over data mounts
NEW YORK: Investors are pumping millions of
dollars into encryption as unease about data
security drives a rising need for ways to keep
unwanted eyes away from personal and corporate information. Major data breaches at Target
and other retailers that have made data security
a boardroom issue at companies large and small.
And stunning revelations of widespread snooping by US intelligence agencies have also rattled
companies and the public.
For venture capital, that has opened up a new
area of growth in the tech business. In February,
Google Ventures led a $25.5 million round of
venture funding for Atlanta-based Ionic Security,
a three-year old company that works in encryption, which scrambles data before it is shipped
or stored. Other encryption companies, including Toronto-based PerspecSys and San Jose,
California-based CipherCloud, have announced
major fundings. The funding rush could hearken
a “golden age” of encryption, as one expert puts
it. But the industry also faces barriers to a tool
that until recently was not a hot commodity.
Concerns about encryption range from practical challenges, such as the difficulty users have
to search their encoded data, to government
opposition towards encryption. “People are
afraid of it because they don’t understand it,”
John Kindervag, a vice president and principal
analyst at Forrester Research But he called the
wider use of encryption “inevitable, because
there’s no other way to solve the problem.”
Kindervag said the industry is between one and
two years away from “some big revolutions” in
the field. “It just needs to happen.”
But Venky Ganesan, a managing director with

venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, believes
major advances are further off.”Encryption slows
down,” Ganesan said. “Just imagine if every room
in your house was locked and you had to open
and close it every time you go in. You would be
frustrated.” Another problem is “the government
is sensitive,” said Ganesan. “They don’t want
encryption technology to be open so that anybody can use it, because their goal is to make
sure they can always get access to the information.” He said governments have frequently
insisted that they be given a master key to
decrypt files, Ganesan said.
Snowden seal of approval
The need for better encryption vaulted to the
top of the tech industry’s agenda earlier this
month by fugitive intelligence contractor
Edward Snowden, who last year exposed the
massive spying capabilities of the US National
Security Agency. Snowden urged industry leaders to make a “moral commitment” to safeguard
customer data by integrating encryption into
devices in a user-friendly way. The NSA and foreign intelligence services are “setting fire to the
future of the Internet,” Snowden said via video
from Russia.
“You guys are the firefighters and we need
you to help fix things.”Recent data security scandals underscore the new vulnerabilities as
organizations process unprecedented amounts
of data that are analyzed, shipped, stored in “the
cloud”-offsite commercial servers-and accessed
remotely by mobile technology. It’s a far cry
from the days when security focused on safeguarding a stolen laptop. “It’s on every corpora-

tion’s and every government’s mind how they
protect their data and their intellectual property,” said William Bowmer, a technology stock specialist at Barclays.
Wall Street appears ready to commit more
money to security companies as well. Shares of
FireEye, which reportedly alerted Target to
breaches in its security network even though the
company did not take action, have more than
tripled from the September 2013 IPO price of
$20. Industry insiders see some encryption firms
as possibilities for entering the market: Voltage
Security, SafeNet, Protegrity and Vormetric Data
Security. Voltage chief executive Sathvik
Krishnamurthy described the market for encryption as “thriving and growing” and said the perception of government opposition to encryption
is outdated.
Encryption can be integrated into policies
that incorporate the lessons of the Snowden revelations with the need to protect national security,
Krishnamurthy said. Spying by authorities “has
been going on forever,” he said. “In any society
where you think you’ve had privacy, you’ve been
grossly mistaken. It’s just a question of the degree
to which you were clueless about Big Brother
actually looking at everything you were doing.” He
called the NSA’s sweep of data “really over the top.”
“Did we have to spy on Angel Merkel’s emails? No.”
But the biggest problem with the NSA program
was the lack of disclosure, Krishnamurthy said.
Disclosure by the government of its program “will
normalize the line over which we would no longer
cross,” he said. “If you have to answer for your
actions, then you are more likely to be reasonable
in your actions.”— AFP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Newfound pink world lurks at solar system fringes
LOS ANGELES: Peering into the far reaches of the
solar system, astronomers have spied a pink frozen
world 71/2 billion miles from the sun.
It’s the second such object to be discovered in a
region of space beyond Pluto long considered a
celestial wasteland. Until now, the lone known resident in this part of the solar system was an oddball
dwarf planet spotted in 2003 named Sedna after
the mythological Inuit goddess who created the
sea creatures of the Arctic.
The latest discovery shows “Sedna is not a freak.
We can have confidence that there is a new population to explore,” Yale University senior research scientist David Rabinowitz said in an email. He was
one of Sedna’s discoverers, but had no role in the
new find detailed in Thursday’s issue of the journal
Nature. For years, astronomers hunted in vain for
other Sednas in the little-studied fringes of the
solar system.
The new object, 2012 VP113, was tracked using
a new camera on a ground telescope in Chile by

Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for
Science in Washington, D.C., and Chad Trujillo of the
Gemini Observatory in Hawaii. Trujillo was part of
the team that found Sedna.
Red and shiny
Like Sedna, VP is also a dwarf planet. It’s jokingly
nicknamed “Biden” after Vice President Joe Biden
because of the object’s initials. It measures about
280 miles across, or half the diameter of Sedna. It’s
bone-chilling cold with a temperature of around
minus 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike red and shiny
Sedna, the newfound object is more pink and
much fainter, which made it hard to detect. By contrast, Earth is about 7,900 miles across and located
93 million miles from the sun.
Sedna and VP reside in what’s known as the
inner Oort cloud in the outer edge of the solar system where some comets such as the sun-diving
Comet ISON are thought to originate. ISON broke
apart last year after brushing too close to the sun.

“Finding Sedna so far away seemed odd and
potentially a fluke. But this one is beginning to
make it look like that might be a typical place for
objects to be. Not at all what I would have guessed,”
Mike Brown, an astronomer at the California
Institute of Technology, said in an email.
Brown, self-proclaimed “Pluto killer,” led the
Sedna team, but was not part of the new discovery.
Far from being deserted, Sheppard and Trujillo
estimate there are probably thousands of similar
objects in the inner Oort cloud.
“These objects are not unique. There’s a huge
number out there,” Sheppard said.
Third farthest object
Not all of them will be visible to telescopes
because they’re so far away and it takes a long time
for them to swing by the sun. Sedna and VP were
spotted at their closest approach to the sun, which
allowed light from the sun to hit the objects and
bounce back to observatories on Earth.

VP is currently the third farthest object in the
solar system after dwarf planet Eris and Sedna, but
it has an eccentric, elongated orbit that can take it
out to 42 billion miles from the sun. Sedna can loop
out as far as 84 billion miles from the sun at its farthest point.
Now that Sedna has company - and likely lots of
them - scientists are searching for more objects in
an effort to learn how they and the solar system
formed and evolved.
In a separate discovery published in Nature, a
team led by Felipe Braga-Ribas of the National
Observatory in Brazil found a pair of rings around
an asteroid-like interloper in the outer system
named Chariklo.
While not as dazzling as Saturn’s rings, it’s the
first time rings have been discovered outside of the
four gas giants - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune. How little Chariklo got its rings remains a
mystery, but scientists think they may have formed
from debris from a violent collision. — AP

Pakistan to vaccinate 750,000
children in troubled northwest
Ninth phase of a push to eradicate polio
PESHAWAR: Pakistani health teams will today
launch a drive to vaccinate some 750,000 children in the troubled northwest, with thousands
of police guarding against attacks by militants
who claim the polio campaign is a front for spying. The campaign in Peshawar district, which
covers Peshawar city and dozens of towns and
villages, is the ninth phase of a push to eradicate
polio in Pakistan, which along with Nigeria and
Afghanistan are the only countries where the
disease remains endemic.
The World Health Organization has warned
that Peshawar is the world’s “largest reservoir” of
polio.
“At least 750,000 children will be administered the vaccine in Peshawar district where
335,000 houses have been identified for the pur-

MUMBAI: Chaotic traffic in one of the streets in Mumbai.

New gadgets hope to hush
Mumbai’s incessant honking
MUMBAI: A handful of fed-up residents in one
of the world’s noisiest cities have taken on a
daunting challenge: persuading Indian drivers
to stop honking their car horns. Non-stop beeping has become the dominant soundtrack to
Mumbai as clattering rickshaws, public buses,
clapped-out taxis, weaving motorbikes and private cars fight for space on the traffic-clogged
roads. Now two separate teams in the city have
come up with devices aimed at instilling some
peace: one by forcing overzealous horn-users to
open their wallets, and another by simply attacking drivers’ consciences.
“People blow their horns just for no sake,”
said Jayraj Salgaonkar, who with a group of engineers has developed the ‘Oren horn usage
meter’ (the name ‘Oren’ derives from local pronunciation of the word ‘horn’). The meter does
not prevent the horn from working but instead
allows for a limited amount of honking, after
which it causes the vehicle’s tail-lights to flash
and alert the traffic police, who could then issue
a fine. The driver gets green, amber and red-light
warnings over his honk allowance and can top
up his meter “like a pre-paid phone card”, said
Salgaonkar. He is in talks with local authorities to
get the device mandated city-wide.
“I have invested money and time and emotion,” he told AFP, relating his years of exasperation with the city’s cacophony. “People take
pride in honking their horn. There’s an ego trip
over having a car. Until you make people pay for
their usage of the horn, it’s not going to work,”
said the publisher turned honk activist, who is
hoping that the potential revenues brought by
the system will help persuade authorities to

adopt it. The second invention, also vying for
official sanction, less publicly castigates the
honkers. ‘Project Bleep’ involves a little red button on the dashboard that beeps and flashes
with a frowning face, “to make the driver conscious that he just honked and make him deliberate why he did it,” said Mayur Tekchandaney,
one of its creators.
“Mostly it’s habitual. The driver doesn’t realise
he’s doing it.” After testing the device on 30 drivers over six months, Tekchandaney and his team
at Mumbai design firm Briefcase found an average 61 percent reduction in honking.“The benefit is to other people on the road, society in general. It creates a nuisance for the driver,” said
Tekchandaney.
Health worry
Their goal may sound ambitious in a country
where honking is so pervasive that foreign car
makers, such as Audi and Volkswagen, fit their
Indian vehicles with stronger, longer-life horns.
Nationwide, the messages “Horn OK Please”
or “Blow Horn” are colourfully painted on the
back of most trucks and lorries, encouraging
drivers to make their presence audibly known as
they overtake. And the noise is only set to
increase as more vehicles pile into denselypacked Mumbai, where the middle-class is
growing and whose shoddy infrastructure and
crowded trains do little to encourage the use of
public transport. There are now about 900,000
cars, 10,000 buses and two million two-wheelers
plying the roads of the financial capital with a
population of some 12 million, according to
local transport expert Ashok Datar.—AFP

pose,” campaign organiser Yunus Zaheer told
AFP yesterday.
The campaign, which started early February,
will continue until the end of April.
Vaccinators go door-to-door every Sunday
across Peshawar district to administer drops to
children for various diseases including polio,
tuberculosis, tetanus, pneumonia, whooping
cough, measles and hepatitis.
Zaheer said more than 6,200 teams comprising 12,500 workers have been set up to administer the vaccines, adding 6,700 police officials
would be deployed on security duty during the
campaign. He said the campaign is likely to be
extended to other districts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province later.
A senior local administration official, Zaheer-

Chinese superstar
faced shark
fin resistance
WASHINGTON: Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming
said Friday that he was shocked by protests when he
spoke out against eating shark fin, but credits his campaign with helping the species rebound. On a return visit
to the United States, the retired Houston Rocket said he
had “all good memories” from his NBA days, even when
he endured taunts by Shaquille O’Neal.
But Yao said that he was stung when he spoke out
against eating shark fin soup, a luxury food for China’s
elite. Demand has decimated the shark population with
tens of millions killed each year, generally by slicing off
the animals’ fins while they are still alive.
“The first letter to me was pretty sharp. That was actually the first protest letter directed to me. Maybe my team
got a few already but put it on the side,” Yao told a forum
at the Brookings Institution.
“It was a shock for me,” Yao said.
But Yao said it was important to be patient and credited his efforts with cutting by half the Chinese demand for
shark fin. China’s government last year announced a ban
on serving shark fin and other wild animal products at
official functions.
Since returning to China, the seven-foot-six (229-centimeter) center has bought his former team-incidentally
called the Shanghai Sharks. He said he planned to stay
active on animal conservation. Yao said he was also using
his name and fortune to start after-school sports programs for Chinese children, voicing concern that youngsters were overloaded with classwork that affected their
physical and mental health.—AFP

CLOVIS: Peanut butter is disposed of Friday at the dump in Clovis. Nearly a million jars of peanut butter are being
dumped at a New Mexico landfill to expedite the sale of a bankrupt peanut-processing plant that was at the heart
of a 2012 salmonella outbreak and nationwide recall. —AP

ul-Islam, also confirmed the details of the campaign. According to the WHO, Pakistan recorded
91 cases of polio last year, up from 58 in 2012.
Pakistan’s failure to defeat polio stands in
stark contrast to its neighbour and great rival
India, which recently celebrated the eradication
of the disease three years after its last case.
Some 56 people including health workers
and police officials providing security have been
killed in militant attacks on polio vaccination
teams in Pakistan since December 2012.
Militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban
oppose the immunisation drive, saying it is a
cover for US spying.
Violence, and the threat of it, have badly
hampered the campaign to stamp out polio in
Pakistan.— AFP

Many preteens in US have
high cholesterol
NEW YORK: There’s fresh evidence that a lot of
young people in the US could be headed for
heart trouble. A large study of preteens in Texas
found that about one-third of them had borderline or high cholesterol when tested during routine physical exams.
The results seem to support recent guidelines that call for every child to have a cholesterol test between 9 and 11 - the ages of the
13,000 youths in this study. Many doctors and
adults have balked at screening all children that
young, but researchers say studies like this may
convince them it’s worthwhile.
“A concerning number of children” are at risk
of heart problems later in life, and more needs to
be done to prevent this at an earlier age, said Dr.
Thomas Seery of Texas Children’s Hospital and
Baylor College of Medicine.
He led the study, which will be presented at
an American College of Cardiology conference
in Washington this weekend.
Estimates are that by the fourth grade, 10 to
13 percent of U.S. children will have high cholesterol. Half of them will go on to have it as adults,
raising their risk for heart attacks, strokes and
other problems. High cholesterol rarely causes
symptoms in kids. Many genes and inherited
conditions also cause high cholesterol but not
obesity, so it can be missed especially in youths
who are slim or athletic.
The new study involved children having routine physicals from January 2010 to July 2011 at
the largest pediatric primary care network in the

nation, more than 45 clinics in the Houston area.
One-third were Hispanic, about one-third were
white, and 18 percent were black. About onethird were obese.
Unhealthy total cholesterol levels were found
in 34 percent. LDL or “bad cholesterol” was borderline or too high in 46 percent, and HDL or
“good” cholesterol was borderline or too low in
44 percent. Just over half had normal triglycerides, another type of fat in the blood.
Boys were more likely than girls to have higher total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, Seery
said. Hispanics were more likely to have higher
cholesterol and triglycerides.
“I would hope that data like these would get
the attention of general pediatricians,” because
many cases of disease are being missed now,
said Dr. Elaine Urbina, director of preventive cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center. She was on the expert panel appointed
by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
that wrote the screening guidelines issued in
2011 and endorsed by the American Academy
of Pediatrics. They call for screening everyone
between age 9 to 11 and again 17 to 21.
“Very few people know their entire family
history,” and many forms of high cholesterol
occur in people who are not obese, so screening
is needed to catch more cases, she said.
High cholesterol doesn’t necessarily mean
the child needs medicines like statin drugs, she
said. The guidelines stress diet and lifestyle
changes as the first step. — AP

PORTALES: The peanut butter production line at Sunland Inc’s peanut plant in Portales. Nearly a million jars of
peanut butter are being dumped at a New Mexico landfill. — AP

Million jars of peanut butter dumped in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE: Nearly a million jars of peanut butter
were dumped at a New Mexico landfill this week to expedite the sale of a bankrupt peanut-processing plant that
was at the heart of a 2012 salmonella outbreak and nationwide recall.
Bankruptcy trustee Clarke Coll said he had no other
choice after Costco Wholesale refused to take shipment of
the Sunland Inc. product and declined requests to let it be
donated to food banks or repackaged or sold to brokers
who provide food to institutions like prisons.
“We considered all options,” Coll said. “They didn’t agree.”
MelindaJoy Pattison, executive director of the Food Bank
of Eastern New Mexico, on Friday called the dumping of the
peanut butter “horrendous.” She said as long as there was
nothing wrong with the peanut butter, her operation
would have found a way to store it, remove the labels and
distribute it to the people who depend on the food bank.
“Those trucks carrying it to the dump went right by the
front door of my food bank,” she said. “It wasn’t like it would

have been out of the way.”
Pattison said peanut butter is a major source of protein
and a staple for hungry people. Her food bank places single-serve peanut butter cups in packages it gives to children whose parents rely on its services.
“For it to just be deliberately thrown away is disappointing,” she said.
Extensive testing
Costco officials did not return telephone calls seeking
comment. But court filings indicate the product was made
with $2.8 million worth of Valencia peanuts owned by
Costco and had been sitting in the warehouse since the
company shut down and filed for bankruptcy last fall.
After extensive testing, Costco agreed to a court order
authorizing the trustee to sell it the peanut butter. But after
getting eight loads, Costco rejected it as “not merchantable”
because of leaky peanut oil.
Coll said “all parties agreed there’s nothing wrong with

the peanut butter from a health and safety issue,” but court
records show that on a March 19 conference call Costco
said “it would not agree to any disposition ... other than
destruction.”
So instead of selling or donating the peanut butter, with
a value estimated at $2.6 million, the estate paid about
$60,000 to haul the 950,000 jars of nut butter - or about 25
tons - to the Curry County landfill in Clovis, where public
works director Clint Bunch says it “will go in with our regular
waste and covered with dirt.”
The last of 58 truckloads was expected Friday, the same
day Golden Boy Foods of Canada was to close on its $26
million purchase of the plant.
Rescued food
Sunland made peanut butter under a number of different labels for retailers like Costco, Kroger and Trader Joe’s,
along with products under its own name. But the plant was
shut down in September 2012 after its products were

linked to 41 salmonella cases in 20 states.
It later reopened for about five months, but shut down
last October after the company’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.
Sunland processed Valencia peanuts, a sweet variety of
peanut unique to the region and preferred for natural butters because it is flavorful without additives.
Sonya Warwick, spokeswoman for New Mexico’s largest
food bank, declined to comment directly on the situation,
but she noted that rescued food accounted for 74 percent
of what Roadrunner Food Bank distributed across New
Mexico last year.
“Our fleet picks up rescued food from hundreds of locations weekly and brings it back to the food bank,” she said.
“Before distributing it, volunteers help label, sort or repack
it for distribution to partner agencies across the state.
“Access to rescued food allows us to provide a more
well-rounded and balanced meal to New Mexicans experiencing hunger.” — AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

White House plan targets methane emissions
WASHINGTON: The White House announced a wideranging plan Friday aimed at cutting methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, landfills and other
sources, part of President Barack Obama’s strategy to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to
global warming.
The White House plan, which could lead to several
new regulations on energy production and waste
management, comes amid concerns about increased
methane emissions resulting from an ongoing boom
in drilling for oil and natural gas.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas released by
landfills, cattle and leaks from oil and gas production.
It is 21 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the most abundant global warming gas,
although it doesn’t stay in the air as long. Methane
emissions make up about 9 percent of US greenhouse
gas emissions, according to government estimates.
Experts say methane leaks can be controlled by fixes such as better gaskets, maintenance and monitoring. Such fixes are also thought to be cost-effective,
since the industry ends up with more product to sell.
In the booming Bakken region of North Dakota and
Montana, huge amounts of methane and other gases
are burned off, or flared, during oil production, wasting millions of dollars and contributing to air pollution.

Updated stand
The White House said the Environmental Protection
Agency will study how methane is released during oil
and gas drilling and decide by the end of the year
whether to develop new regulations for methane
emissions. If imposed, the regulations would be completed by the end of 2016, just before Obama leaves
office.
The White House also said the Interior Department
will propose updated standards to reduce venting and
flaring of methane from oil and gas production on
public lands. Next month, the Bureau of Land
Management will begin a rule-making process to
require the capture and sale of methane waste produced by coal mines on lands leased by the federal
government.
This summer, the EPA will propose updated standards to reduce methane from new landfills and consider whether to impose new standards for existing
landfills. In June, the Agriculture Department and other agencies will release a strategy for voluntary steps
to reduce methane emissions from cattle, with the
goal of cutting dairy sector greenhouse gas emissions
by 25 percent by 2020.
Environmental groups praised the White House
plan, although they noted that many details remain
incomplete.

“The important thing is they charted a specific
pathway forward, which we think should lead and will
lead to additional standards for (reducing) methane
leakage,” said David Doniger, director of the climate
and clean air program at the Natural Resources
Defense Council, an environmental group.
“A federal strategy to reduce venting, flaring and
leaks of natural gas is good for the environment and
good for national energy security,” said Fred Krupp,
president of the Environmental Defense Fund.
Chilling effect
Industry groups reacted warily. While they support
continued efforts to reduce methane emissions, officials cautioned against new regulations.
“Additional regulations are not necessary and could
have a chilling effect on the American energy renaissance, our economy and our national security,” said
Howard Feldman, director of regulatory and scientific
affairs for the American Petroleum Institute, the oil
and gas industry’s chief lobbying group.
“Smart, cost-effective investments in system modernization can continue, and accelerate, the trend in
decreasing natural gas emissions,” said Dave McCurdy,
president and CEO of the American Gas Association,
which represents more than 200 local energy companies.

The White House plan comes amid conflicting estimates about how much methane is produced by oil
and gas production.
The EPA said in a report last spring said that tighter
pollution controls instituted by the oil and gas industry resulted in an average annual decrease of 41.6 million metric tons of methane emissions from 1990
through 2010, or more than 850 million metric tons
overall. The figure is about a 20 percent reduction
from previous estimates.
A University of Texas study published in September
largely agreed with those findings, but another study
published in November said government methane
estimates are off by as much as 50 percent below
actual methane emissions.
The debate over methane emissions comes as oil
and gas drilling has expanded across the country
amid improvements in drilling techniques that have
allowed energy companies access to previously
untapped areas. Much of the increase is due to
hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a drilling process
that injects sand, water and chemicals to break apart
rock and free the gas inside. Improved technology
has spurred a nationwide drilling boom but also has
raised widespread concerns that fracking could lead
to groundwater contamination and even ear thquakes. — AP

n the occasion ofthe International
Week of La Francophonie, the
Department of Arabic and Foreign
Languages at the American University of
Kuwait (AUK) invited the French Ambassador
to Kuwait, Christian Nakhle, along with the
embassy’s Cultural Counselor, Francois
Brossard to launch an exhibition of scrapbooks created by students from a French
class of Professor Joseph Fiannaca, AUK
Senior Instructor of French Language and
Literature. The exhibition took place at the
AUK Library, and was attended by Dr Rawda
Awwad, Interim Dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, and Asma Al-Kanan, Director
of the AUK Library.
Upon their arrival to AUK, the
Ambassador and Cultural Counselor met
with AUK President Dr Nizar Hamzeh, and Dr
Awwad, where they discussed possible collaboration opportunities, including the possibility of offering a French Minor at the
University. During the meeting, the Embassy
expressed its commitment to provide support should the minor be created.
Following the meeting with the
President, Dr Awwad accompanied the visitors in a tour in the AUK Library where AlKanan showed them the collection of French
resources available to the AUK community
prior to launching the students’ exhibition.
The exhibition showcased scrapbooks creat-

The ambassador visited the French class.

ed by students from Professor Fiannaca’s
Intermediate French class as a final class
project. The project required the students to
construct scrapbooks based on characters
they created who spend one month in a
French language institute in a city in France.
Each student was required to select a different city and institute, conduct research on
them, and create diary entries and postcards
to family and friends, among other scrapbook staples.
“The purpose of this project and such
assignments was to give our students the
opportunity to express their personal and
artistic skills, as well as their French reading
and writing skills,” said Professor Fiannaca. As
part of their visit, the Ambassador and
Cultural Counselor were invited to attend
one of Professor Fiannaca’s classes. During
the session, they interacted with the students and informed them about the variety
of activities organized by the French Institute
of Kuwait, and finally take some time to participate in a quiz on La Francophonie.
The International Organization of La
Francophoniere presents one of the biggest
linguistic zones in the world which organizes
political activities and actions of multilateral
cooperation that benefit French-speaking
populations. This year, the International Week
of La Francophonie coincided with AUK’s own
annual International Week.

NBK welcomes The Australian College
students on banking familiarization tour

N

ational Bank of Kuwait (NBK) welcomed a
group of students from The Australian
College of Kuwait (ACK) at the bank’s
head office in a banking familiarization tour. NBK
Public Relations team took the visiting group of
students on a tour of the bank’s various departments, including the main banking hall. NBK

staff then presented to the students a brief lecture on the importance of saving, the services
that NBK provides to its customers, the multibenefits of Al-Azraq and Al-Shabab accounts
and the importance of Public Relations within
the banking sector. At the end of the visit, the
students expressed their gratitude for having

the opportunity to gain a better understanding
of the banking industry. As part of its corporate
social responsibility program, NBK regularly
hosts students on field trips from both public
and private schools in Kuwait and provides them
with information about the banking industry
and career opportunities.

angladesh community in association with the Bangladesh Embassy in
Kuwait organized Independence Day Cup Football and Ha-Do-Do
Tournament 2014 at Nadi Al-Naser Stadium [beside the 6th Ring Road
close to national stadium] at 2:00 pm on Friday, March 21, 2014. The final match
of Ha-Do-Do was held with lots of enthusiasm among the players and the community people present at the playground. The Bangladeshi traditional national
game [Ha-Do-Do] took place between Narail Club and Jenaidah Club. Narail
Club emerged as the champions of the tournament with a score of 21-5. The
final match of the football tournament took place at the stadium between the
Bangladesh Shapla and the Nobabgonj Club. Bangladesh Shapla won the
match 3-1.
Major General Mohammad Ashab Uddin, the Ambassador of the People’s
Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait was present at the tournament venue as the

chief guest. He enjoyed the games and presented prizes to the champions. Brig
Gen Mohammad Nasimul Gani, Defence Attache, SM Mahbubul Alam, Counsellor
(Political) and Head of Chancery, KM Ali Reza, First Secretary (Labour), MA Jalil, First
Secretary, and Mohammad Sakawat Hossian Patwary, Sonali Bank Representative
(SBR) were also present at the tournament venue to enjoy the matches.
A large number of Bangladeshi community people in Kuwait witnessed and
enjoyed the matches with a very joyous and cheerful mood. The tournament
took place in a very friendly and congenial atmosphere. It enhanced integrity
and solidarity among the Bangladesh community people in Kuwait. It was very
interactive and engaging. It symbolizes an extraordinary cohesiveness and
bondage with unique fellow-feeling within the community. It was a successful
and meaningful arrangement with the patronization of Bangladesh Embassy in
Kuwait.

A

s part of its social activities organized to underline its responsibility
for preserving the environment,
Warba Bank organized a visit for its voluntary youth team to Warba Island. The
visiting team, inclusive of Retail Banking
staff, organized a clean-up campaign on
the island and planted a number of trees,
with a view to preserve the environment
and protect Kuwait’s natural landmarks
against pollution.
This visit falls within the activities of
Warba Bank’s Call Centre voluntary team,
and aims to strengthen the social partnership and patriotism, in addition to
raising environmental awareness. Warba

Bank’s team also expressed their appreciation for the coast guard’s efforts in
ensuring the security and protection of
all Kuwaiti coasts.
On behalf of Warba Bank’s
Management and the entire staff, the Call
Centre team offered sincere thanks and
gratitude to the Coast Guards
Department, represented by Major
General Sheikh Mohammad Al-Yousef AlSabah, the Ministry of Interior’s Assistant
Undersecretary for Border Security
Affairs, and all the officers and officials,
for their warm reception and generous
hospitality towards Warba Bank team
during the visit.

W H AT â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S O N

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

Jamaican Day is a splash of color in Kuwait

T

he Jamaican Day was held on Friday, March 28, 2014 at Movenpick Hotel-Bidaa and was sponsored by Vision Academy for Advanced Natural Talent. The event included Jamaican cuisine and Jamaican
dancing. A DJ and live band was also present. Visitors enjoyed themselves at the Jamaican tourism booth which gave them a chance to win a trip to Jamaica. Other activities included limbo dancing, tugof-war, treasure hunt, face painting, domino tournament, fashion show and make-up and fun and games. Vaant also perfomed at the event. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Photos by Joseph Shagra

Doctors
New Tricks
My Family
Walk On The Wild Side
Being Erica
Spooks
The Weakest Link
Mr Bloom’s Nursery
Balamory
Nina And The Neurons
Me Too!
Mr Bloom’s Nursery
Balamory
Nina And The Neurons
Me Too!
My Family
The Vicar Of Dibley
Little Britain
Eastenders
Doctors
The Weakest Link
The Vicar Of Dibley
Call The Midwife
New Tricks
My Family
Little Britain
Eastenders
Doctors
Call The Midwife
New Tricks
The Weakest Link
Eastenders
Doctors
Being Erica
Last Of The Summer Wine
The Vicar Of Dibley
Upstairs Downstairs
Mistresses
The Omid Djalili Show
Stella
The Weakest Link
Eastenders

Container Wars
How Do They Do It?
How It’s Made
Sons Of Guns
You Have Been Warned
Flying Wild Alaska
Fast N’ Loud
Border Security
Auction Kings
Container Wars
How Do They Do It?
How It’s Made
Gold Rush
Alaska Gold Diggers
Gold Divers: Under The Ice
Border Security
Auction Kings
Container Wars
North America
Fast N’ Loud
Ultimate Survival
Wheeler Dealers
You Have Been Warned
Sons Of Guns
How Do They Do It?
How It’s Made
Auction Kings
Container Wars
Dual Survival
Survive That!
Yukon Men

The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody
The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody
Sonny With A Chance
Sonny With A Chance
Suite Life On Deck
Suite Life On Deck
Wizards Of Waverly Place
Wizards Of Waverly Place
The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody
The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody
Sonny With A Chance
Sonny With A Chance
Suite Life On Deck
Suite Life On Deck
Wizards Of Waverly Place
Wizards Of Waverly Place
Austin & Ally
Dog With A Blog
Suite Life On Deck
A.N.T. Farm

House Gift
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
Holiday: Heaven On Earth
Agatha Christie’s Marple
Ade In Britain
House Gift
Holiday: Heaven On Earth
Agatha Christie’s Marple
Ade In Britain
May The Best House Win
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
House Gift
Ade In Britain
May The Best House Win
Holiday: Heaven On Earth
Trevor Mcdonalds Queen &

THE LAST STAND ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

Why net neutrality
matters so much to
Indie filmmakers

C

THE BIG YEAR ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD
Country
16:30 Endeavour
18:20 May The Best House Win
19:10 Coronation Street
19:35 Trevor Mcdonalds Queen &
Country
20:30 Endeavour
22:20 Coronation Street
22:50 Emmerdale
23:45 May The Best House Win

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
01:00 The Colbert Report
01:30 The Big C
02:00 South Park
02:30 Out There
03:30 Raising Hope
04:00 Seinfeld
04:30 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
05:30 Seinfeld
06:00 Two And A Half Men
06:30 Arrested Development
07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers
08:00 Seinfeld
08:30 Seinfeld
09:30 The Crazy Ones
10:00 Trophy Wife
10:30 Arrested Development
11:00 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
12:00 Two And A Half Men
12:30 Seinfeld
13:00 Seinfeld
13:30 Arrested Development
14:00 Raising Hope
14:30 The Crazy Ones
15:00 Trophy Wife
15:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
16:00 The Colbert Report
16:30 Two And A Half Men
17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers
18:00 The Simpsons
19:00 The Mindy Project
19:30 Modern Family
20:00 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
21:00 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
21:30 The Colbert Report
22:00 Veep
22:30 South Park
23:00 Out There
23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

Good Morning America
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
24
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Castle
Made In Jersey
Live Good Morning America
24
Castle
Made In Jersey
24
Castle
Made In Jersey
Rescue Me
Nip/Tuck

01:00 The Samaritan-18
03:00 Seeking Justice-PG15
05:00 Nobody Walks-PG15
07:00 Planet Of The Apes (1968)PG15
09:00 Last Dance-PG15
11:00 The Music Never StoppedPG15
13:00 Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of
Me-PG
14:45 The Lady-PG15
17:00 The Music Never StoppedPG15
19:00 The Grey-18
21:00 London-18
23:00 We Need To Talk About
Kevin-18

onsumer groups and tech advocates have been voicing concern about the growing threats to net neutrality, but Hollywood - especially independent filmmakers and distributors - have plenty of reason to worry about
the walls and toll booths being erected to discriminate
between Internet content. Soon after Netflix reached a deal
with Comcast to directly access its broadband network and
thus make its service faster for the cable company’s customers, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings ripped into the “arbitrary
tax” that the cable network forced his company to pay. He
asked readers of a post on the streaming service’s site to
“imagine the plight of smaller services today and in the
future,” and looking downstream, there are plenty of outlets
that specialize in independent film that have become
endangered before they are established or even launch.
“If we want to directly sell movies off our site, like Louis
CK does, the challenges that I then have is, what price do I
have to pay to make sure that my information is delivered at
the speed and is as high quality as it can be?” Ted Hope, a
veteran indie film producer (“21 Grams,” “Adventureland”)
who now runs the independent distributor Fandor, told
TheWrap. “To get information faster, big pocketed entities
like Netflix go and make deals with Comcast, but small companies don’t have that option.”
Fandor operates on a revenue-splitting model, allowing
filmmakers to sell their work directly to consumers by using
the site as a platform. It is one of many services that operates
in this sort of fashion; an ever-growing list also includes
Vimeo, Joost, Indiefix and even large companies like Hulu,
which has not struck a deal similar to that which Netflix
grudgingly made with Comcast. Platforms, in this case,
could either ultimately be forced to pay for special access to
the pipes - and thus pass along the cost to either the consumer or the filmmaker - or fall behind. “The independents
are now looking at the smaller companies who are competing not only with Comcast, but also with Netflix, and don’t
have the money to pay for preferred carriage, and are not
going to pay for co-located interconnection,” Jean Prewitt,
the CEO and President of the Independent Film and
Television Alliance (IFTA), told TheWrap. “And those are
increasingly going to be the services that a lot of our members are going to be looking to as their way onto the internet. Or, our members are looking themselves to put forward
their own service in which they aggregate content of a particular genre or type and try to put forward.”
In theory, having just a handful of content distributors
equipped with the fastest connections could be okay for
independent filmmakers, but monopolization and market
share have already constricted the free flow of movies, and
that would only get worse. The struggle of independent distributors and platforms is intimately connected with the fate
of independent filmmakers because outlets like Netflix and
iTunes (which may also reach a deal with Comcast), as well
as the cable companies’ own VOD offerings, are so tightly
curated. This, even before the courts struck down the FCC’s
Net Neutrality principles in January.
‘Unlimited capacity’ pursued
“If you do not have films that have been theatrically
released in the United States, or have a very strong, quite
obvious niche audience, it’s very difficult to get on the major
VOD services,” Prewitt said. “That’s true for a couple of reasons, but it’s complicated by the fact that none of the big
services really are putting out there unlimited capacity.”
The fact that distributors and platforms don’t release
their VOD profits only adds to the problem, as it’s hard to tell
which movie is a surprise hit and discourages discovery. The
potential merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable could
only serve to exacerbate that problem. The IFTA, which is on
the record as pro-open Internet, hasn’t released an official
position on that pending marriage, but is wary of its potential consequences. “Increasingly independents have to go
through one or more levels of aggregator, because no one
coming down the line, starting at a Comcast, Time Warner or
Fox, wants to deal with a company that only has one or two
films to offer at a time,” Prewitt said. “So they say go find
someone else to package that together, and in many cases
that’s In Demand, which is commonly owned. In Demand
chooses what it wants to put forward, and that’s not everything, and In Demand won’t deal with smaller distributors,
so you have to go to another aggregator. And every one of
those layers leads to cherry picking, costs and delay.”
Simply put: If you weren’t in theaters or don’t have a star,
you’ve got way less of a shot of getting of one of the big
VOD systems. And if broadband providers price smaller VOD
systems out of business or at least put them at a technical
disadvantage, you’re either out of luck getting distribution or paying a bigger share of your profit to one of the big
name platforms if they do happen to accept your film.
“I care about net neutrality because I’ve got to try to get
my movies out in a good way, any way I can,” Daniela Taplin
Lundberg, a veteran indie producer (“The Kids Are All Right”)
and partner at Red Crown Productions, said. “I want audiences to be viewing the content that I’ve slaved over
through any platform. Whether that’s Hulu, YouTube, Netflix,
iTunes, I want them to be able to view it in the same way,
with the best quality. That being said, that doesn’t feel the
way the tide is turning.” At the moment, Lundberg says, the
uncertainty around which VOD services will carry her films and the financial boom or bust that will cause - doesn’t have
much impact on many of the projects she chooses to produce, especially micro-budget features; you can only shave
a budget down so far. But, with pre-sales on distribution
making up quite a bit of a film’s financing these days, and
theaters showing fewer and fewer independent films,
there’s more pressure on VOD. If there’s no guarantee that a
movie will make it onto a VOD system, no one will want to
buy its home entertainment rights - and that means a film
just may not get made in the first place. — Reuters

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27-3-2014

STAR TRACK
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Today you may find yourself working for a half day or just to finish up a project in the workplace. Your logic is good and you have built a reputation for
thinking quickly, on your feet, so to speak. You can walk into most any room and gain
respect for obtaining whatever information is needed. A profession as a spy, detective or
researcher is quite possible for you. You are confident in whatever position you hold. You
are emotionally stable and other people sense this about you. Create some goals now for
an exciting year ahead. You will find your circle of friends enlarging this year. Your part in
this activity is to just sit back and enjoy the parade. Friends want to show you a good time
tonight. Happy birthday!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You intuitively know that things are looking upward! You are entering a
phase of emotional directness and focus-one marked by forceful and powerful feelings.
Do not spread yourself too thin or you will just slow yourself down-you are independent.
You are satisfied by meeting your obligations. Creative and pleasurable interests are high.
Get serious about travel plans and include your loved one in your future plans.
Spontaneity is the special word for you. These are great days for doubling your money!
Take a chance on a business venture-you are likely to find positive results. Investment
opportunities can be found in the fields of nursery care for children, restaurants, home
decorating and furnishings for vacation accommodations.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS
1. A potent estrogen used in medicine and in
feed for livestock and poultry.
4. A flat tortilla with various fillings piled on it.
11. A metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.
15. A mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues.
16. Brownish Old World bunting often eaten
as a delicacy.
17. Type genus of the Ranidae.
18. (Welsh) Lord of Annwfn (the other world.
20. Have confidence or faith in.
21. A group of more than 800 islands (100
inhabited) in the southwestern Pacific.
22. A Chadic language spoken in northern
Nigeria and closely related to Hausa.
24. South American wood sorrel cultivated for
its edible tubers.
26. Offering fun and gaiety.
27. Manufactured in standard sizes to be
shipped and assembled elsewhere.
29. Sour or bitter in taste.
30. A white metallic element that burns with a
brilliant light.
32. A river in north central Switzerland that
runs northeast into the Rhine.
36. A legal document codifying the result of
deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body.
38. A telegram sent abroad.
42. God of wealth and love.
44. (astronomy) The angular distance of a
celestial point measured westward along the
celestial equator from the zenith crossing.
47. Someone who engages in arbitrage (who
purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting
from the price differential).
48. A master's degree in business.
49. Deep-rooted coarse-textured plant native
to the Mediterranean region having blue
flowers and pinnately compound leaves.
51. Concerning those not members of the
clergy.
53. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali
earth group.
55. Japanese stringed instrument resembling
a banjo with a long neck and a fretted fingerboard and a rectangular soundbox.
56. The regulation of weights and measures of
articles offered for sale.
59. African tree having an exceedingly thick
trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and
has an edible pulp called monkey bread.
61. The universal time coordinated time when
a transmission is sent from Earth to a spacecraft or other celestial body.
62. The site of an archeological exploration.
63. A town and port in northwestern Israel in
the eastern Mediterranean.
67. The blood group whose red cells carry
both the A and B antigens.
71. United States physiologist (born in
Germany) who did research on parthenogenesis (1859-1924).
72. The airforce of Great Britain.
77. A run that is the result of the batter's performance.
78. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.
79. Any of two families of large herbivorous
aquatic mammals with paddle-shaped tails
and flipper-like forelimbs and no hind limbs.
80. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal
to 10 liters.
81. A river in north central Switzerland that
runs northeast into the Rhine.
82. (architecture) A slender upright spire at

the top of a buttress of tower.
83. A loose sleeveless outer garment made
from aba cloth.
DOWN
1. Lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise.
2. A Spanish river.
3. The skin that covers the top of the head.
4. A unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kilograms.
5. A state in northwestern United States on
the Pacific.
6. Any of a number of tiny parallel grooves
such as.
7. Having a toe or toes of a specified kind.
8. (prefix) Indicating difference or variation.
9. Childcare during the day while parents
work.
10. An associate degree in nursing.
11. An African amulet.
12. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.
13. A blue dye obtained from plants or made
synthetically.
14. An independent group of closely related
Chadic languages spoken in the area between
the Biu-Mandara and East Chadic languages.
19. A person who is under the protection or in
the custody of another.
23. A radioactive transuranic element.
25. (informal) Of the highest quality.
28. A small cake leavened with yeast.
31. Tropical trees having papery leaves and
large fruit.
33. A silvery ductile metallic element found
primarily in bauxite.
34. With rapid movements.
35. Cause to ripen.
37. A sock with a separation for the big toe.
39. According to the Old Testament he was a
pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel
(9th century BC).
40. Leafless East Indian vine.
41. The Jewish rite of circumcision performed
on a male child on the eighth day of his life.
43. Before noon.
45. Someone who works (or provides workers)
during a strike.
46. Relating to or characteristic of a tribe.
50. Having or making equal angles.
52. A large and densely populated urban area.
54. The region of the body of a vertebrate
between the thorax and the pelvis.
57. A lustrous gray strong metallic element
resembling titanium.
58. The square of a body of any size of type.
60. An island in the Aegean Sea in the Saronic
Gulf.
64. British filmmaker (born in Hungary) (18931956).
65. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a
skewer usually with vegetables.
66. A promontory in northern Morocco opposite the Rock of Gibraltar.
68. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake
Chad.
69. Acquire or gain knowledge or skills.
70. Fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm.
73. At a great distance in time or space or
degree.
74. Apparent power to perceive things that
are not present to the senses.
75. Denoting a quantity consisting of 12 items
or units.
76. The compass point midway between
northeast and east.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

It could be important to do some serious thinking about your work or career
just now, particularly if you feel it is inadequate. Plan before you act and
have clearly defined objectives; you will find success. Find ways in which to merge your
spiritual life into every other aspect of your life. This will give you encouragement. Turn
your intuitive eye onto what is and what is not beneficial at this time. Take more time to
build stamina in your life; climb stairs. You are able to enjoy and value your own life situation. A friend or loved one gets special attention from you this afternoon. It is your turn to
encourage this person and help with gaining a focus on his or her future independence.
An engagement or birth may soon be in the forecast.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Your attitude toward your health will make a big difference in how you feel
physically. A strong intention to change things may be met with oppositiondo not push, you will find a compromise. You are entering a phase of emotional directness
and impulsiveness-one that is marked by forceful and powerful feelings. However, you have
the energies working in your favor if you pace yourself and take plenty of time to think
through your argument or methods of persuasion. Your taste in art and appreciation in general are heightened. Perhaps this is a good time to select furnishings, colors, etc. You may
also prefer to just sit back and enjoy what you have-to live life. Young people and a special
loved one will be plotting to surprise you this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22)
As most of us, you can occasionally want to rest your energies-perhaps in
procrastination. However, putting your resources to work now will show successful results. Act quickly. You and others will see your achievements today. You aim to find
the middle way and you strive for balance. Take time to enjoy the results of your labor later
this day when you really can step back and take a break. This afternoon is an excellent time
to solidify existing friendships while gaining the affections of acquaintances. Seize the
chance when it comes! Any domestic needs should be carried out successfully as well. The
need to have a support system is important this evening. Careful, you must realize that
friends will have opinions.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)
You have a clear understanding of your position in the world, as well as the
people you care about now. Life’s problems seem manageable. This is a great time, when
good fortune and plain old luck surrounds you. It is easy for you to make correct decisions,
find the right path and move forward where career and success are concerned. The support
you need is available. You must realize that friends and relatives rely on you as much as you
depend on them. You may see a turning point in your outlook on life and relationships now.
Some sort of extra support or recognition is given to you at this time. If you seek a contented
home life, you will enjoy contentment. Take a trip this evening to a romantic settingromance is in the air.

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

Libra (September 23-October 22)
An outgoing and very expressive time will begin for you soon. You could
miss out on some of the fun if you keep working overtime, so . . . Give yourself a break from your usual hard work. A special project that is connected with your home
may have your attention. You may decide that working on the addition to your home or
looking for a new home may be where you are most interested. Make it a point to search
your feelings before making any major decisions concerning loved ones now. Harmony and
beauty are deeply satisfying and time alone with loved ones is beneficial. A love relationship
will become closer and more meaningful now. Perhaps a healing or an agreement can be
reached. This evening there is time to relax and refurbish your energies.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
You are action oriented, creative, enthusiastic and ready to accomplish what
is set before you now. New projects move quickly and problems have little
staying power with you on board to do the problem solving. Work has been steady but you
may be tempted to take on a part-time job in order to have some extra finances for an
upcoming trip, special date, etc. Time away from your living surroundings is a good thing
this afternoon. Visitors to your household later today may consist of family or old friends.
Perhaps some tourist attraction that you and your family have always wanted to see or experience is at the forefront of your mind. Plans are forming for some great new adventure; write
down your ideas and get feedback from the others.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
This is a good time to do research. Take your time and take clear notes. A
friend may try to sway you from your path today, but stay true to yourself by
doing what is necessary to move forward and complete your task. Stay focused but do not
be afraid to share your compassionate nature with others. If you ask your highest most inner
self those questions that boggle your mind, you will be able to find the answers you needespecially when least expected. This brings you back time and time again to discover the
new and what seems impossible. This afternoon is a good time for tennis, golf or bicycle riding with a friend. While you are out you may catch a glimpse of some beautiful blossoms. A
vase of flowers are a welcome sight on a table.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
A naturally strong urge to be powerful and in control may cause you to draw
on some extra energy and plan your future with more determination. One
does not have to be manipulative to be in control but one does have to become aware and
in tune with the possibilities so as to take charge of the future, and in today’s case, the future
is yours. Take notes and dream big; adjustments can be made as you move along life’s highway. A business relationship is on solid ground and expanding your business or interests
may be something worth considering at this time. Appreciation to others should come easily at this time and can do positive things for your disposition. This evening, fate shines on
you-love is in the air!

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)
Your reckless side is showing today. You may be tempted to abandon your
practical, businesslike persona for a chance at some off-the-wall activity.
Considering this may be a day off for you, you may gather your friends and entertain each
other. A little off-road ride or a good movie can be enjoyed by you and your friends. A few
new ideas are floating around for a new invention or adventure and there is much talk about
the times when you can gather once again. A freshly mowed yard, a fresh bag of charcoal
and some steaks thawing just for you to cook will be a little difficult to ignore this evening. A
summer vegetable garden is a good idea and worthy of your planning talents. Take some
time to enjoy your loved ones this evening.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

You are a virtual dynamo of energy today. You love to be totally absorbed
with what you are doing and hate idle moments-unless, of course, you can be
totally absorbed for recreation or relaxation purposes. Just standing around
tends to create some very negative thinking. You are pleased with your professional
progress and spend much of your day humming, whistling and happily involved in household duties or chores. Your love life is intensified and your independence is balancing out
nicely. Attending a spectator sport this afternoon will be fun. This is a great time to be with
friends. This could mean a basketball, baseball or hockey game for you and you become
completely absorbed by trying to shout over to your favorite players.

he legendary Hollywood producer is working
on a sequel to the classic 1986 fighter pilot
movie - which starred Tom Cruise - and is
hopeful it will go into production soon, with the
actor reprising his role as Maverick. He told The
Huffington Post: “We’ve been trying to get that
movie made for 30 years, and I think we’re getting
closer and closer. “Don [Simpson] and I tried to
develop something, we didn’t succeed. [Tom] Cruise
took over, and he tried to develop something, and
he didn’t succeed. Now we’re back at it.” Jerry added

it was the director of the original movie, Tony Scott,
who came up with the current storyline before he
passed away in 2012. He added: “The concept is,
basically, are the pilots obsolete because of drones
Cruise is going to show them that they’re not obsolete. They’re here to stay. “It’s just getting to the
starting place. Fortunately for Tom, he’s very busy, so
you have to find a slot he can fit into and get a
budget that [studio] Paramount feels they can make
the picture.” So far no director or estimated release
date for the project has been set. — Bangshowbiz

Enrique Iglesias’

chat-up lines are ‘stupid and immature’

T

he Spanish lothario has been in an on/off relationship with tennis player
Anna Kournikova since 2001, but says if he did need to break the ice with a
lady he’d rely on his boyish charm. He told website MailOnline: “My lines
tend to be kind of stupid and immature. If a girl can laugh at a joke then I always
think that’s cool. That’s fun, it’s a good opener.” The 38-year-old ‘Hero’ star also had
some tips on male hygiene, advising anybody with a hairy back to get their clippers out. He added: “If you have a hairy back, shave it; brush your teeth; fake tan
I’m not so much into. Not too much hair I guess - I shave everywhere. I’m kidding,
I don’t shave everywhere... But most places you do try to trim.” Enrique also told
how now he’s in his 30s he finds it a little harder to keep in shape, although when
he’s on tour, his energetic live show ensures he burns off plenty of energy. He
added: “One of the things I’ve noticed, when you turn 30 and up, you’ve gotta
watch a little bit more what you eat. But in my case, going on tour, two hours on
stage, you actually lose a lot of calories, which is good. I notice when I’m not on
tour I’m not in as good shape. It helps me like a workout. “When it comes down to
the gym or anything that’s cardio, like running on the treadmill, I’m very lazy.
What I like to do more is sports. Whether it’s surfing or paying racquetball with
my friends, you sweat a lot and I like that better.”

Christina Aguilera
is expecting a girl

T

Nick Cannon gifts
Mariah Carey

he ‘Fighter’ singer and her fiance, Matthew Rutler, are having a daughter
according to JustJared.com, which will be their first child together. The girl
will be a sibling to Max, Christina’s six-year-old son with ex-husband
Jordan Bratman. The singer is currently in Malaysia, where she performed for
fans writing on twitter following the show: “Ain’t no other fans... Thank you
Malaysia for all the love & support! XoXtina (sic)” Christina, 33, announced she
was expecting in February, a week after Matthew had proposed and is said to be
over the moon with the pregnancy, with one source saying: “It wasn’t expected,
but it also wasn’t unwelcome. They are all very excited though! Christina loves
being a mom.” Production assistant Matthew met the blonde beauty on the set
of movie ‘Burlesque’ in 2010 while she was going through her divorce, and had
been planning to propose long before Christina got pregnant, even starting to
design her engagement ring more than a year ago. He popped the question in
the backyard of their new home in Los Angeles, which is still under construction, on Valentine’s Day. Christina was said to be completely “shocked” by
Matthew’s romantic sunset proposal, for which he wore a suit and filled a gazebo with candles and red roses, before taking her to celebrate with friends and
family.

a diamond bracelet

T

he ‘America’s Got Talent’ presenter surprised his wife
with an expensive-looking cuff decorated with
sparkling butterflies to celebrate her 44th birthday.
She took to Twitter to write: “Nick surprised me for 3/27
with a stellar diamond bracelet encrusted with 3 floating
butterflies!” The singer and her doting husband are seen
grinning ear-to-ear as she shows off her new jewelry in the
accompanying photo. Mariah was clearly delighted with the
special gift and was thrilled to be having “family time” with
Nick and their two-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe
together. She added: “I’m just happy he’s here!!!! #familytime #festivity @NickCannon.” The ‘Honey’ singer marked
the occasion at the 10th anniversary of the opening of the
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida,
where she tucked into a giant cake and Disney-themed
sweet treats. Butterflies have a special symbolic meaning to
Mariah, whose sixth studio album was named after her personal ballad ‘Butterfly’, which is about the end of her marriage to her reportedly controlling ex-husband, Tommy
Mottola.

Kim Kardashian

wants a sibling for North

T

he reality TV star is set to marry Kanye West in France this spring and then they are rumored to be trying for a
brother or sister for nine-month-old North. A source told Yahoo! Celebrity: “She wants to start trying by the end
of the year - even though she hated being pregnant. “She’s so besotted with North that she says she’s totally forgotten the awfulness of being pregnant and how much she struggled.” The 33-year-old - who has sisters Khloe and
Kourtney, brother Rob and half sisters Kendall and Kylie - is said to be keen for her daughter to have a sibling close to
her in age. The insider added: “Kim has such a big family that she feels it’s really important there isn’t a huge age gap
between North and her siblings. “She’s got her body back and loves being slim and voluptuous, but she’s going to relish it for a few more months and then try for another child after the wedding, even on honeymoon. “Kim says it’ll be
the most romantic thing ever and that’s what they’ve been talking about a lot.” Kim and Kanye’s wedding is set to be a
star studded affair, with a guest list thought to include chat show legend Oprah Winfrey, TV host Ryan Seacrest - who
produces Kim’s reality show, ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ - actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, as
well as close friends Beyonce and Jay Z. The wedding will be filmed for ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’, although
Beyonce reportedly doesn’t want to feature on the program. The wedding will be Kanye’s first and Kim’s third marriage, after she tied the knot when she was 20 to music producer Damon Thomas for four years and later married basketball player Kris Humphries, in 2011, a union which lasted just 72 days.

Solange Knowles
feels ‘far older’ than 27

T

he singer thinks marrying Daniel Smith - the father of her nine-year-old son
Julez - when she was just 17 and separating less than four years later gave her
an “insane amount” of perspective and says her experiences have made her
wiser. She said: “In a lot of ways, emotionally and mentally, I feel far older than 27.
Just going through a marriage and a divorce - which I essentially did by 21 - will
give you an insane amount of perspective on life.” Despite their split, Solange still
gets on well with her ex-husband. She told America’s Harper’s Bazaar magazine:
“We co-parent really well. I’m able to say, ‘I need to finish this album, can you step
up and take care of the boy?’ “ The ‘Losing You’ singer released her first album when
she was 16 years old, and despite her older sister Beyonce being a successful member of Destiny’s Child, she insists her family were never keen on her following in her
sibling’s footsteps. She said: “My parents constantly tried to talk me out of being an
artist. They had gone through the whole journey with my sister and just wanted me
to have a normal teenage life.” And Solange - who is in a relationship with video
director Alan Ferguson - admits she doesn’t want her son to be a performer. She
said: “It’s certainly not what I have in mind for him, I’m constantly trying to push him
to work at the UN, or be a diplomat. I try to convince him by explaining that he
wouldn’t have to wait in lines at the airport, and that he can park anywhere.”

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

lifestyle
G o s s i p

Gwyneth Paltrow
wants to ‘have fun’

T

he couple announced their separation this week after 10 years of marriage, and it is said
the ‘Iron Man 3’ actress is “ready” for another relationship, wanting to enjoy herself rather
than get down over the break-up. An source told The Sun newspaper: “She is ready to
have another boyfriend. She’s very much about having fun.” The blonde beauty - who has children Apple, nine, and Moses, seven, with the Coldplay singer - has also used her Goop website’s online newsletter to thank fans for their support during this tough time. She wrote: “CM
and I in deep gratitude for the support of so many.” The couple described their break-up as an
“unconscious coupling”, and made the announcement earlier this week as they insisted they
were “closer” than ever. They said: “It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. “We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion
that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. “We are, however, and
always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been.”

Courteney Cox
wants another child

T

he 49-year-old actress - who will celebrate her 50th birthday in June - already has
nine-year-old daughter Coco with ex-husband David Arquette, but now that she’s
fallen for Snow Patrol star Johnny McDaid, she’s said to thinking about trying for
another child. A source said: “For years Courteney said that she didn’t want another baby
and that Coco was perfect so she couldn’t see why she’d put herself through the trauma
of having another child. “Now she’s met Johnny, she feels that having a baby together
would be an amazing way to put a seal on their relationship.” Meanwhile, her friends are
worried that she’s feeling broody because she’s approaching her landmark birthday, and
as she found it difficult to conceive with David - who is expecting a child with his girlfriend Christina McLarty - during their marriage, they’re concerned she could put herself
under too much stress. The source told Britain’s Closer magazine: “Courteney’s told pals
she’s considering seeing a fertility doctor in LA to find out if she can try for a second
baby. “Her friends wonder if it’s because her 50th birthday is coming up. They don’t want
her to put herself at any unnecessary risk but she’s reassured them that she’d never make
a snap decision about something as important as this.”

Jay Z, Beyonce
heading to Brazil
for the World Cup

T

he couple are planning to head to Rio in June for the
tournament because they think there will be a great
“party atmosphere” and have enlisted the advice of
their friend David Beckham to boost their knowledge of
the contest. A source said: “Jay and Beyonce don’t really
take an interest in football. “But they love the idea of the
party atmosphere that will surround Rio during the tournament. “They’re both pals with David and Jay has been
asking him for advice on which games will be the best. “He
admits he doesn’t have a clue when it comes to football,
but David has been telling him which games he thinks will
have the biggest buzz. “He’s even promised to organize VIP
tickets for them for some big games.” Beyonce, 32, and Jay,
44, will be joined on their trip by two-year-old daughter
Blue Ivy because the ‘99 Problems’ hitmaker thinks it will
be a good family bonding experience. The source added to
the Daily Star newspaper: “They’re taking Blue Ivy with
them to make it extra special. “Jay thinks that it will be
good for them to have some quality time together as a
family and Blue will be fascinated by the colors and buzz
of Rio. “They are both so excited about the trip now. Both
Jay and BeyoncÈ think that attending the World Cup in
Brazil is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “They think it’s
going to be like the Rio Carnival multiplied by about a
hundred.”

Orlando Bloom

hopes to inspire his son

T

he 37-year-old actor, who split from
his wife of three years Miranda
Kerr in October, admits being a
father to their three-year-old Flynn is
his top priority. The ‘The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug’ star told E! News:
“I can only hope that I always instill
him with all of the ideas of living your
dream, of actually understanding that
life is a cyclical thing and when you
give, you receive.” Orlando participated
in the We Day California conference on
Wednesday along with Selena Gomez,
Seth Rogen and Magic Johnson, to
inspire young people to take action
and affect change. The ‘Lord of the
Rings’ actor has been romantically
linked with actresses Margot Robbie,
Nora Arnezeder and Condola Rashad
since splitting from Australian supermodel Miranda. Devoted parents, the
former couple are regularly spotted
together in New York City with their son
and previously insisted they would always
consider each other “family” and there were no hard feelings. Miranda said: “We love each other as family,
forever.” Orlando also revealed in the past that he tries not to spend too much time away from Flynn. He
said: “I won’t spend more than two or three weeks away from him.”

Jennifer Aniston

hoards old clothes and make-up

T

he ‘Horrible Bosses 2’ actress admits she finds it hard to let go of her
old beauty products and even has clothes she wore twenty years ago
when starring in 90s sitcom ‘Friends’. She said: “I’ve had make-up in
my drawer for 10 years that I should probably get rid of. I just cleaned out
my make-up drawer. I mean, I do get new mascaras and things like that.
But I also have this weird thing [about saving]. “Like even my jeans from my
20s that I can’t get rid of. They’re high-waisted and short. I thought it was
awesome. I still have red loafers from ‘Friends’! I can’t get rid of them. I have
a nostalgia about them.” Jennifer - who is engaged to Justin Theroux - is
known for her natural beauty and she frequently foregoes make-up when
altogether in the summer. She added to People magazine: “Summertime I
wear the least amount, if any, make-up. I use a great moisturizer ... if anything, I put a little concealer here and there, a little rose on my cheeks, dust
with bronzer. That’s summertime. And it’s good not to over-moisturize,
because it clogs your pores.”

Rihanna

to receive Fashion Icon Award

R

ihanna is to be given the Fashion Icon Award by the Council
of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). The ‘Umbrella’
singer will be celebrated at the 2014 Fashion Awards
Ceremony for her risque outfits and constantly evolving style.
Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA said: “We are proud to present
Rihanna with the CFDA Fashion Icon Award for her impact on the
industry as fashion’s most exciting ambassador in recent memory.” As well as modeling designer wear, Rihanna has actively been
involved in fashion, designing a range for British clothing chain
River Island. She was also recently at Paris fashion week, where
she was spotted at shows by Lanvin, Chanel, Dior, Comme des
Garcons, Givenchy and Stella McCartney. Rihanna, 26, has previously acknowledged the huge role fashion and style have played
in helping build her career. She said: “It’s not all down to my voice.
There’s people with way more talent than I when it comes to
singing. Bigger voices.’’

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

lifestyle

In this photo, four Stradivarius violins are played on stage during a rehearsal at the
Colburn School in Los Angeles. — AP photos

iang “Angelo” Yu is holding the nearly 350-year-old
Stradivarius violin casually by the neck and explaining
why he’d like a little more time to make its acquaintance. “It’s always an adventure,” says Yu, 25, who has played
six or seven Stradivarius violins over his career. “I only have
one or two days to get used to it. Feels like a wild horse - you
never know what’s coming.” The violins of Antonio Stradivari,
arguably the most famous instruments ever created, have an
almost mystical reputation for beauty and heavenly tone. This
week eight of them have been brought together in the City of
Angels.
“Strad Fest LA” is a four-day series of performances culminating with a Saturday charity concert. “I think we’re really giving a gift to Los Angeles,” said Margaret Batjer, concertmaster
of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. “To gather this many
instruments under one roof, to be played night after night, is
an extraordinary event.”
Yu called it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For the festival,
he’s playing the 1666 “Serdet,” the earliest known existing
Stradivarius violin. “Somehow I feel like every violin has its
individual soul, that when I press down my fingers I could feel

the soul of that violin itself,” he said before a Thursday rehearsal. “It’s one of the most extraordinary and expensive and beautiful instruments,” said violinist Chee-Yun, holding a 1714
“Leonora Jackson.”
“The minute I started playing a note on it, I felt like I was
floating in the air. It’s like a dream come true. It’s beautiful.”
Philippe Quint held the 1708 “Ruby.” “Growing up, my dream
was always to be able to time travel,” he said. “And a couple of
years ago I realized that I’ve had this time machine in my
hands my whole life. These violins have traveled for centuries
and have been in the hands of some of the most incredible
violinists.”
“When I play on this instrument, the sound has so much
depth and mystery and history,” he said. Stradivari created violins, guitars, cellos and other stringed instruments in his workshop in Cremona, Italy. About 650 survive today and they can
sell for millions of dollars.
Playing one is like a ‘relationship’
The violins are revered as extraordinary (despite some
experiments where listeners have been unable to distinguish

them from less-renowned instruments). Researchers have
offered innumerable suggestions to explain the rich, resonant
tones of the best Stradivarius violins. “There was a certain
magic that happened in Cremona, in northern Italy at that
time,” Batjer said. “And people argue all the time: Was it the
weather, was it the climate, was it the conditions, was it the
wood, was it the craftsmanship? It’s probably a combination
of all of those things.”
Throughout his lifetime, Stradivari kept experimenting,
changing and refining his instruments, and each has a different voice. Playing one is “like getting into a relationship. You
respond to each other” in a process that can take months or
even years, said Cho-Liang Lin, holding the 1715 “Titian.”
“The violin will become part of your voice and at the same
time, you’re learning what the violin can do. And you probe
further and further,” he said. “The violin kind of responds in
kind, and that’s a lovely thing. It’s almost like a marriage except that the divorce procedure’s a little easier.” The violins
being played at “Strad Fest LA” include some from Stradivari’s
so-called “Golden Period” in the 1700s and the 1720 “Red
Mendelssohn,” whose whereabouts were unknown for 200

This photo shows Jennifer
Lawrence as Mystique in
Twentieth Century Fox and
Marvel’s “X-Men: Days of
Future Past.” — AP photos

years. That violin, with its distinctive color, is believed to have
inspired the 1998 movie “The Red Violin.”
Some of the performers own the violins, while others have
been loaned. Pasadena businessman and philanthropist Jerry
Kohl bought the 1716 “Milstein” that Batjer played eight years
ago for a sum he won’t disclose. Most of the time, the
Stradivarius lives in vaults. Kohl only loans it out 10 or 15 times
a year so that the instrument won’t take a beating. Kohl hopes
it will be around for another 300 years. “It’s like your child,” he
said. “After a while, you know you can hear the difference. Last
night they played five violins. I could close my eyes and tell
you which one was mine.” — AP

Cameron Diaz talks new
film, Paltrow breakup

I

This 1975 comic book cover image shows
“Giant-Size X-Men, v1 #1.”

‘X-Men’ preview shows
abilities of new mutants

I

Portugal Fashion Week

n the first few minutes of a new “X-Men: Days
of Future Past” clip, some X-Men attempt to
battle ruthless metal monsters using their
special abilities. It’s the first appearance for some
of the mutants - Blink, Sunspot, Warpath and
Bishop. A few don’t make it out alive. The clip
was unveiled Thursday at CinemaCon in Las
Vegas and introduced by Jim Gianopulos, chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox, to theater
owners.
The seventh installment of the Marvel franchise, due May 23, brings back two-time “X-Men”
director Bryan Singer, as the younger selves of XMen Professor Charles Xavier (played by James
McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) join
forces with their older selves (Patrick Stewart
and Ian McKellen) to fight species across two
time periods. Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence),
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry)
and many of the other X-Men also appear.
Among those featured in the “X-Men: Days of
Future Past” clip, Ellen Page plays Shadowcat,
Shawn Ashmore is Iceman, Bingbing Fan is new-

bie Blink (she can teleport herself ), Adan Canto
is Sunspot (he can store and convert solar energy), Booboo Stewart is Warpath (he has superhuman strength and his body can regenerate
quickly) and Omar Sy is Bishop (he is able to
release absorbed biokinetic energy).
With appearances by Cameron Diaz, Leslie
Mann and Shailene Woodley, Fox also previewed
“The Other Woman” and “The Fault of Our Stars.”
There to introduce summer release “The Fault of
Our Stars,” based on John Green’s best-selling
tear-jerker about two young people (Woodley
and her “Divergent” co-star Ansel Elgort) with
cancer who fall in love, Woodley said the film
“rewrote the way I look at every breath.”
The studio also touted the upcoming “Rio 2,”
with a showgirl-accompanied performance of
the film’s song “Rio Rio” by rapper B.o.B. and Ester
Dean, as well as “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,”
to release in June. In the “Apes” footage shown,
the advancement of the apes, one of the climactic moments in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” is
once again highlighted. One ape yells, “Apes

A folk group performs on the catwalk during the presentation of Portuguese
designer TMCollection at the Portugal
Fashion Fall/Winter 2014/2015 week in
Porto, Portugal. — AP

together, strong!”
The material to gain the largest cheers from
the audience was one of the studio’s 2015
teasers, the Colin Firth and Samuel L Jacksonstarring “The Secret Service.” In it, Firth plays an
agent who trains a young man to become part
of his team. An early clip showed Firth as a suitwearing, umbrella-toting, fierce fighting agent a new, entertaining look for him.
The presentation was capped by “New Girl”
stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr, who
come down the Colosseum aisles at the Caesars
Palace dressed as police officers shouting “Don’t
worry, we’re fake cops” through megaphones to
promote their buddy comedy where they play
pretend police officers in “Let’s Be Cops.” — AP

Models display creations by Portuguese
designer TMCollection.

f you count yourself among those
who’ve never been cheated on,
Cameron Diaz has these words of wisdom: It will happen, or it’s already happened and you just don’t know it. The
actress gave her perspective on relationships as she and Leslie Mann promoted
their new comedy, “The Other Woman,” at
CinemaCon, the annual convention of
movie exhibitors. The two ladies joked
around with each other as they talked
about the film, in which Diaz discovers her
boyfriend is actually married to Mann and
the pair team up to seek revenge.
In real life, Diaz insists that everyone has
been the victim of a cheating partner. “At
some point in your life everybody has been
cheated on,” she said. “I’m not saying that
the relationship you’re in currently, you’re
going to get cheated on, but eventually or
maybe in the past it’s happened.” And if you
think you’re the exception to the rule, Diaz
has news for you: “You’ve never been cheated on? You’ve never been cheated on ever?
Really? Really, nothing? Oh good. Well,
guess what? You may not know that you’ve

been cheated on.”
The 41-year-old actress also weighed in
on the “conscious uncoupling” of her
friends Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.
The actress and musician were married in
2003 and have two children. They
announced their split on Tuesday in a message on the actress’s blog titled “Conscious
Uncoupling.” Diaz says they’re handling
divorce the right way “because everybody
is interested and they are giving them the
truth.”
She added: “They’re being very honest
about their relationship which is that they
are really great friends, they’re amazing parents and they’re just consciously deciding
that a part of their life is not going to be
spent the way it’s been for the last 11 years,
which I think is ...”“Eleven years is a long
time. That’s a long time. It makes sense,”
added Mann.” The Other Woman” opens in
US theaters on April 25. — AP

Leslie Mann (left)
and Cameron
Diaz, cast members in “The
Other Woman,”
pose together at
the 20th Century
Fox presentation
at CinemaCon
2014 in Las
Vegas. — AP

Models showcase Portuguese designer
Diogo Miranda’s creations.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

lifestyle

Prehistoric animal bones are displayed.

Roman busts are displayed.

Spain’s archeological museum to open after 6-year renovation

S

The sculpture “Lady of Elche” is seen.

pain’s National Archaeological Museum
reopens to the public on Tuesday after a massive six-year overhaul that aims to offer a stateof-the-art space for its collection of ancient artifacts.
The redesign of one of Madrid’s largest museums,
housing items from prehistoric times until the 19th
century, began in 2008 and cost 65.2 million euros
($89.8 million). It has incorporated new audiovisual
displays, maps and graphic panels to give greater
context to the objects on display, which include
Greek vases, Roman mosaics and ancient sacred artifacts.
The collection is spread around two interior
courtyards now bathed in natural light thanks to
new larger windows. In the first room visitors will be
greeted be two giant walls of images projected onto
350 small screens. “The idea is to tell the history of
the people who lived in the geographical area we
now call Spain,” said museum director Andres
Carretero Perez. “We did not want to create an exhibition for scholars, we wanted it to be accessible for
the greatest number of people and not be dry like
history books.”
A total of 13,000 objects are on display in 40
rooms in a neoclassical building, in the heart of
Madrid, which the museum shares with the National
Library. “All of these objects are important because
they were chosen from the 1.25 million objects that
are stored at the museum,” said Perez.

‘The Lady of Elche’
One of the star attractions is a celebrated CeltoIberian bust from the fifth century BC known as “The
Lady of Elche” depicting the bust of a woman wearing
elaborate headgear. The bust was found by chance in
1897 near Elche in southeastern Spain and bought by
a French archeological connoisseur who sent it to
France where it was displayed at the Louvre museum.
The French government returned it to Spain in
1941 under a deal reached with Spanish dictator
Francisco Franco. The museum also features a reconstruction of Spain’s Altamira Caves and their prehistoric wall paintings of bison, horses, deer and animalheaded humans. The room housing a replica of the
remains of 3.2-million-year old female hominid
known as “Lucy” features videos that show what life
was like during the period when she lived.
The fossilized remains were discovered in 1974 in
Ethiopia by US scientist Donald Johanson and they
are considered one of the world’s most significant
archeological finds. “The idea is not to see everything
all at once. To see everything you would need two full
days,” said Perez. The museum was founded in 1867 to
save and study archaeological objects collected by
Spain’s monarchs.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will officially reinaugurate the museum tomorrow. The doors will open to
the general public the following day. Tickets cost
three euros but entry will be free until April 20 to cel-

ebrate the redesign. Museum officials hope the
revamp will double its previous annual visitor numbers of 200,000-250,000 people. The museum is now
also fully accessible for the disabled, with ramps and
elevators for wheelchairs, commentaries in Braille and
replicas of objects on display available for the blind to
touch. — AFP

A man walks past a
wall of pictures at
the National
Archaeological
Museum in Madrid.
— AFP photos

Action, special effects help
Hollywood in China

C

Models present designs from the L’Wren Scott Fall 2012 collection during Fashion Week
in New York in these file photos. — AP photos

Singer Mick Jagger (left) and L’Wren Scott are seen at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art gala benefit in New York.

Designer award named for L’Wren Scott

A

and Amber, a child who had a brain tumor and
who participated in The Art of Elysium’s fashion
workshops for hospitalized kids. The venture was
announced Thursday by the New York company
that handled the 49-year-old designer’s public relations, PR Consulting. Meanwhile, various media

outlets reported that Scott’s will left her $8 million
Manhattan condo and her other personal possessions to her boyfriend, Rolling Stones frontman
Mick Jagger. — AP

China Fashion Week

n award honoring emerging fashion designers has been named for L’Wren Scott. The
award was created by The Art of Elysium, an
organization that brings the arts to hospitalized
children. The L’Wren Scott Amber Award honors
both Scott, who committed suicide on March 17,

aptain America and Spiderman are
seeking to dominate the Chinese box
office in the coming weeks, proving
that US patriotic superheroes can overcome
China’s leeriness of foreign films if they
promise big money. Chinese authorities,
wary of outside cultural influences and
competition, restrict the number of foreign
movies shown in the mainland’s cinemas to
34 each year. Such big Hollywood blockbusters with action, adventure and special
effects tend to be Hollywood’s most successful imports to China. Only a handful of
this year’s Oscar winners have been shown
so far in mainland China, including the 3-D
space odyssey “Gravity,” highlighting how
visual spectacle translates better than dialogue-driven drama. Oscar Best Picture “12
Years A Slave” and the other leading Oscar
nomination movie “American Hustle,” which
in the end went home empty-handed,
haven’t been shown here.
“The American movies that have succeeded in this market in a big way typically
have special effects, lend themselves to 3D
and are emotionally satisfying stories,” said
Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia
Pictures, in an interview in Beijing. “I think
we’re all learning about the Chinese marketplace, it’s growing so quickly and probably the demographic make-up of the audience is changing, but it seems like there’s a
young audience, romance seems to work
pretty well here, adventure heroes, I think
those are ingredients that work well.”
Hollywood is keen to get a big slice of
China’s movie market, which is now the
world’s second biggest after the United
States. Movies increasingly contain China
elements to appeal to the audience, such as
“Gravity’s” inclusion of a Chinese space station and the casting of actress Fan Bingbing
in a Chinese version of “Iron Man 3.” At a
news conference in Beijing this week to
promote “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,”

which is scheduled for release in mainland
China on May 4, two days after its US
release, the movie’s producer was asked
whether the audience could expect to see
female characters from China in sequels.
“Emphatically yes, you will see that,”
responded Matt Tomach, explaining that
“China’s an enormous part of the moviegoing world and our community.” Zhao
Zhiyong, an official at Beijing city’s bureau
of press, publication, radio, film and television, said that for a foreign film to be successful in China, it should have a story line
that is “touching and can arouse empathy.”
‘Rah-rah America kind of movies’
“The film has to be able to produce
strong emotion in Chinese viewers, and this
is related to cultural understanding. This
doesn’t mean that the film has to feature
Chinese actors or actresses, rather it should
know what Chinese are interested in,” said
Zhao in an interview Thursday.
China’s authoritarian government strictly controls print media, television, radio and
the Internet. Movies have to clear censorship, and those that fail don’t necessarily
know why, although China censors according to political sensitivities and cuts excessively sexual and violent material. One surprise approval last year was Quentin
Tarantino’s violent slave-revenge movie
“Django Unchained,” which debuted only to
be pulled on opening day for unspecified
“technical reasons.” After undergoing an
edit, it returned a month later.—AP

Actress Scarlett Johansson (center) waves as she arrives at a publicity event ahead
of the April release of the movie “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” next to
Samuel L Jackson (left) and Chris Evans in Beijing, China. — AP

Los Angeles festival
offers Stradivarius
violins

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

38

This undated photo provided by the Museum of the City of New York shows tile vaulting by the Gustavino company in New York’s old City Hall Subway Station. — AP photos

T

A section of New York’s Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
shows vaulted tile work from the Gustavino company featuring a spiral stair.

Look up: Tile artists’ work
hidden in plain view

he domes and arched ceilings - each arrayed with tiles
in herringbone and basket-weave patterns - are hidden
in plain sight. Millions of people walk under them
every day at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal,
New York’s St John the Divine, the Boston Public
Library, the San Diego Museum of Man and hundreds of other
places.
But Rafael Guastavino and his son Rafael Jr, the makers of
these sweeping tiled vaults that provide both decoration and
structure, have mostly been forgotten, in part because credit
went to the architects who commissioned them. A new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York tells the story of the
master masons who, between the late 1800s and the time their
company closed in 1962, created vaults, domes and other tile
work in 1,000 buildings in 42 states.
“Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural
Tile” focuses on their 250 commissions in New York - the most of
any other city where their work is found. The Guastavinos arrived
in New York from Barcelona in the late 19th century and patented
a thin-tile vaulting technique based on a 500-year-old Spanish
building method that was lightweight, extremely strong, selfsupporting and fireproof. Fires were a great concern in the late
19th century as many buildings were made of wood.
Their method of interlocking and layering thin clay tiles with
quick-drying mortar in decorative patterns revolutionized architectural design. It created grand palatial interiors, such as the
delightful Elephant Room at the Bronx Zoo and New York’s City
Hall subway station, an ornate subterranean cathedral of glazed
green, ivory and brown tiles now shuttered and only viewable
through the window of a passing train.
Instead of using heavy stone, they used a particularly thin
ceramic tile that is similar to brick that can be glazed in different
colors, said John Ochsendorf, the exhibition’s co-curator and a
professor of architecture at MIT and author of “Guastavino
Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile.”“I think of them as Gothic master masons in the great Gothic tradition where it took a century
to build a cathedral,” except they worked on 100 buildings simultaneously since the light tiles allowed them to work at a quick
pace, Ochsendorf said.
“At the simplest level they’re builders. But they’re also acting
as architects, as engineers and interior decorators choosing patterns of tiles, color and schemes,” added Ochsendorf. “The vault is
... their great contribution to American architecture. It is a fusion

In this file photo, tiled and vaulted ceilings designed by the Gustavino company forms decor for the Oyster Bar restaurant in New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
of art and technology that engineers still struggle to understand.”
A replica in the show built by some of Ochsendorf’s students
“is our best guess at how they would have built a vault like this.”
Kevin Faerkin, general manager of the famous Oyster Bar, called it
“an inspiring, an incredible environment to work in.” He said the
first thing a lot of customers say even before they sit down “is
how great the space is. They are struck by the grandeur of the
ceiling.”
The Guastavinos’ big break - the one that launched their
careers and allowed them to start their own company - came in
1889 when the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White hired
them to build a set of vaults above the main entrance of Boston

Public Library. Today, 600 Guastavino-adorned buildings in 36
states still stand, magnificent structures such as the Ellis Island
Registry Hall, the Boathouse in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Riverside
Church and the Washington National Cathedral in DC.
Ochsendorf is convinced there are other Guastavino projects
waiting to be discovered. To that end, the museum has created a
crowdsourcing site - http://palacesforthepeople.com/ - to help
uncover them. — AP

A spiral staircase features tile work.

The underside of a staircase at Columbia University’s St
Paul’s Chapel in New York with Guastavino tiles.

A vaulted arcade designed and tiled by the Guastavino company to serve as a public market at New York’s Queensboro Bridge.